In a historic political milestone, Nitish Kumar, the leader of Janata Dal (United), has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for an unprecedented 10th term. This follows a resounding victory in the state’s recent elections, where his party and its allies, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), secured a commanding 202 out of 243 seats. The 74-year-old political stalwart, who has dominated Bihar’s political landscape for most of the past two decades, took the oath of office in Patna before a massive gathering on Thursday. The ceremony came a day after his party’s legislators unanimously elected him as their leader, with the broader alliance endorsing the decision. The election itself was marked by controversy, with opposition parties alleging that a revision of voter lists unfairly favored the BJP—a claim both the party and the Election Commission denied. Bihar, one of India’s poorest states with over 74 million voters, has long been a political battleground. Despite its challenges, the state saw a record voter turnout of 66.91%, the highest since 1951, with women outnumbering men at the polls. The BJP won 89 seats, while Kumar’s party secured 85, with the remaining 28 seats going to other alliance partners. The opposition coalition, led by the Congress party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), managed to win only 35 seats. This election is seen as a precursor to crucial state polls next year in West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, where the BJP has struggled to establish a foothold. Prime Minister Modi hailed the Bihar results as ‘a victory for democracy,’ underscoring the significance of the outcome in shaping India’s political future.