Nitish, perform or perish

Nitish Kumar is perhaps the luckiest politician to be sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar for the tenth time. Yet to credit his return solely to luck would be unfair. It is his political astuteness, willingness to take risks, and unwavering focus on social engineering that have placed him once again at the helm of the state.

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When elections were announced, few expected him to be the next chief minister. He was projected as a spent force, even "senile" and indecisive. The BJP, his strongest ally, did little to reassure voters that he would lead the NDA if it returned to power. It even denied the JD(U) a larger share of seats to contest. The results, however, told a different story. The JD(U) won 85 seats-almost double its previous tally-with a strike rate comparable to the BJP's. When the BJP had conceded the chief ministership to Nitish Kumar even when his party fared poorly in the past, it would have been untenable to deny him the post now, when the JD(U) stands nearly shoulder to shoulder with the BJP.