After Electoral Successes, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Faces Fresh Political And Investment Challenges As 2026 Looms

Patna: Belying his detractors` claims, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has proved his political mettle both in the last Lok Sabha election and also in the assembly election held this year, but faces new challenges in 2026.

While in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Nitish party, JD (U), by winning 12 out of 16 it contested proved to be a crucial ally of BJP for formation of a new NDA government at the Centre, the state assembly election also proved to be yet another opportunity for him to prove his political acumen and relevance. Although JD (U) finished second (85 seats) after BJP’s 89 in the final tally, the NDA`s landslide victory in the assembly election is largely attributed to people`s trust in his leadership and his pro-women initiatives, and also their affection for him.

May be a tumultuous year, politically

But the year 2026 may be different for Nitish, as there whispers of BJP wanting him to vacate his CM chair for somebody from the saffron party are getting louder. Both BJP and JD (U) leaders are claiming that the majority of RJD MLAs have approached them, showing their keenness to switch sides.

Former professor of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Pushpendra Kumar Singh apprehended that MLAs from the opposition parties, namely RJD and Congress, might defect from the party and join the NDA next year, and the possibility of BJP trying to engineer defection among the JD (U) MPs could not be completely ruled out in coming months, as BJP wanted to improve its numbers in Lok Sabha for stability of its government at the centre. In view of it, the year2026 is likely to be a tumultuous year for Bihar, at least on the political front.

Will Nitish be able to attract industrial investments?

Nitish is often given credit for improving road infrastructure, providing almost uninterrupted power supply and tap water even for rural families of Bihar but he has also drawn flak for not bringing industrial investments to the state.

In a major push to accelerate industrial growth, Nitish has announced plans to position Bihar as a major industrial and technological hub in Eastern India. He also outlined an ambitious strategy aimed at attracting Rs 50 lakh crore in investments over the next five years.

Former TISS professor Singh apprehended that Bihar would not be able to attract big ticket investments until investors were provided assured markets. He said that the state’s growth map would be largely limited to infrastructure development like construction of highways and expressways.