Nitish Kumar.
Credit: PTI Photo
As the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is poised to retain power in Bihar with a landslide majority, there is no denying the fact that real winner of the elections is someone who did not even contest — Nitish Kumar.
'Tiger abhi zinda hai' (tiger is alive) was the poster which appeared outside Nitish's residence on Friday (November 14) morning, just as the NDA opened up a clear early lead in the Bihar Assembly elections.
The JD(U) workers gathered around the poster as if unveiling a victory totem ahead of time.
"'Sirf trend aaya hai, par message clear hai, Nitish ji politics ka asli tiger hain', (the trends are only out, Nitish ji is the real tiger of Bihar politics)," one worker told a news channel, posing proudly beside the larger-than-life artwork.
The septuagenarian politician who has been the longest-serving Chief Minister of the State opted out of electoral fray citing health reasons.
But the image of Nitish, standing calmly, while a tiger crouches beside him reinforced a long-running political metaphor JD(U) supporters invoke whenever questions over his political longevity emerge.
Though alliance partner BJP would take credit and attribute the landslide win to 'Modi wave', the real hero in Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 is Nitish himself.
Battling anti-incumbency, Nitish has helped JD(U) retain their stranglehold over Bihar for yet another term.
The Machiavellian politician known for his political flip-flops, which even led to political pundits calling him 'Paltu Ram', has come a long way since he assumed charge as Bihar CM for the first time in 2005.
Over the years, he helped Bihar shed the 'jungle raaj' image en route to earning the sobriquet 'Sushasan Babu'.
It will be a record of sorts for Nitish, if he is sworn is sworn as the Chief Minister this time, as it will be the 10th time that he is going to occupy the top spot.
Whether it happens or not, 2025 definitely marks a watershed in the 74-year-old's political history as he has literally wiped out the Tejashwi Yadav-led Mahagathbandhan opposition bloc and stamped his authority on the political landscape of one of the most volatile states of North India.