Discover the Bihar leaders who served as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar three times or more, including Nitish Kumar, Shri Krishna Sinha, Jagannath Mishra, and Rabri Devi, as Bihar gears up for 2025 elections.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar: As Bihar gears up for the high-stakes 2025 Assembly elections, political discussions are heating up across the state. With the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcing two-phase polls on November 6 and 11, the spotlight is back on familiar political faces — particularly Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who holds the record for the most terms served in the state’s top office.
However, Nitish Kumar is not the only leader to have held the Chief Minister’s position multiple times. A number of veteran politicians have also led Bihar for three or more terms. Here’s a look at the prominent leaders who share this rare distinction.
1. Nitish Kumar: Record Nine Terms as CM
Nitish Kumar stands out in Bihar’s political history as the longest-serving Chief Minister. Since his first term in March 2000, he has held office nine times, forming governments with both the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and later with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress. His leadership has seen multiple alliances, breakups, and political resets, most recently in January 2024, when he returned to the NDA fold.
Timeline of Nitish Kumar’s Terms:
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1st Term: March 3–10, 2000
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2nd Term: November 24, 2005 – November 24, 2010
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3rd Term: November 26, 2010 – May 17, 2014
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4th Term: February 22, 2015 – November 19, 2015
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5th Term: November 20, 2015 – July 26, 2017
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6th Term: July 27, 2017 – November 2020
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7th Term: November 16, 2020 – 2022
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8th Term: August 9, 2022 – January 28, 2024
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9th Term: January 28, 2024 – Present
2. Shri Krishna Sinha: Bihar’s First and Longest-Serving Congress CM
Shri Krishna Sinha, also known as Sri Babu, was Bihar’s first Chief Minister and a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress. He served three continuous terms from 1946 until his death in 1961, shaping the state’s post-independence development.
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1st Term: April 2, 1946 – January 31, 1952
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2nd Term: March 2, 1952 – March 31, 1961
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3rd Term: April 1, 1961 – January 31, 1961 (until his passing)
3. Jagannath Mishra: Veteran Congress Leader
A seasoned Congress politician, Jagannath Mishra also served as Bihar’s Chief Minister three times. Known for his administrative acumen, he held office in politically volatile periods and later became a Union Minister.
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1st Term: 1975–1977
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2nd Term: 1980–1983
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3rd Term: 1989–1990
4. Rabri Devi: First Woman Chief Minister of Bihar
Rabri Devi, wife of RJD founder Lalu Prasad Yadav, became Bihar’s first female Chief Minister in 1997. Despite facing criticism for her lack of political experience, she remained in power for nearly eight years over three separate terms.
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1st Term: July 25, 1997 – February 11, 1999
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2nd Term: March 9, 1999 – March 2, 2000
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3rd Term: March 11, 2000 – March 6, 2005
5. Bhola Paswan Shastri: A Brief But Repeated Tenure
Bhola Paswan Shastri, another notable figure in Bihar politics, served three times as CM, although his tenures were relatively short. A leader from the Dalit community, he held office at various points between the 1960s and early 1970s.
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1st Term: March 22, 1968 – June 29, 1968
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2nd Term: July 2, 1968 – February 29, 1969
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3rd Term: June 22, 1971 – January 9, 1972
Bihar Elections 2025: Political Activity Accelerates
As the state moves towards the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, alliances and seat-sharing agreements are taking shape. The NDA alliance, led by Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has finalized a 101-seat pact each ahead of the two-phase vote.
The upcoming polls will be critical, especially after a roller-coaster political ride in recent years. In 2020, Nitish Kumar returned as CM with NDA’s support. Later, he switched sides to form a government with the RJD and Congress, only to return to the NDA fold in January 2024. His frequent political manoeuvring has kept Bihar’s political scene both dynamic and unpredictable.