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Bihar Assembly Election 2025: Nitish Kumar, the longest serving Chief Minister of Bihar, does not contest assembly elections. The last time Nitish Kumar was part of the Bihar Assembly was in 1985, since then he has only contested the state assembly election once in 1995 from Harnaut, however, he did not retain his seat as he chose to remain a Lok Sabha MP. The Bihar CM, instead, chooses the legislative council route to join the state assembly. Nitish Kumar contested three consecutive Bihar Assembly elections in 1977, 1980 and 1985, but managed to win only once, in 1985. He then shifted his focus to national politics, contesting six Lok Sabha elections - 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004 - and emerged victorious each time. His first parliamentary win came from Barh in 1989, a seat he retained in four successive polls. In 2004, he contested from both Barh and Nalanda; although he lost in Barh, he secured a win in Nalanda. That election marked the last time Nitish Kumar personally entered the electoral fray. Nitish Kumar has served as Bihar’s chief minister since November 2005, except for a brief nine-month period in 2014–15. He resigned after the BJP’s sweeping victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha election due to political differences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During his exit, Jitan Ram Manjhi was made CM, but after Manjhi grew close to the BJP, Nitish returned to the post in 2015 ahead of the Assembly polls. He then won a strong mandate in alliance with Lalu Prasad’s RJD, before switching back to the NDA in 2017. Also Read: What’s Inside Tejashwi Yadav’s ‘Prann Patra’ for Bihar? Why Nitish Prefers Legislative Council Route When Nitish first took oath as chief minister in 2000, he was not a member of either House and stepped down within eight days, before he could secure a seat. In 2005, he again became CM without being an MLA and later entered the Legislative Council (MLC), a route he has continued to take. Bihar is among six states with a Legislative Council, allowing ministers to serve without being elected directly through Assembly polls. Nitish’s first term as MLC ended in 2012, after which he was re-elected — prompting questions about whether he was avoiding contesting Assembly seats directly. Defending his choice, Nitish said in January 2012 during the Council’s centenary celebrations: "I chose to become an MLC by choice and not because of any compulsion as the Upper House is a respectable institution." He added, "I will once again be elected to the Legislative Council upon completion of the present six-year term." Ahead of the 2015 Assembly polls, he again clarified that he would not contest the election personally because he didn’t want to “limit his focus on one seat.” Nitish was re-elected to the Legislative Council in 2018 for a third consecutive term. That tenure ended in 2024. Thereafter he was re-elected for his latest term as a MLC in March 2024 and his tenure is set to end in May 2030. The 2025 Bihar Assembly election will take place in two phases - on November 6 and November 11 - with votes to be counted on November 14, 2025. For all the latest news and india news, visit Times Now to get live updates and breaking news around the world.
