Image source: Bihar Government
Nitish Kumar Biography, education, Political Journey and family
Also known as: Munna
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Who is Nitish Kumar?
Nitish Kumar is an Indian politician and the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar, holding the position for the 10th time. He first entered politics in 1985 as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Janata Dal.
In 1994, he founded the “Samata Party” wit George Fernandes. he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 and served as a Union Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government through his party’s alliance. Later, in 2003, his party merged into “Janata Dal (United), and Nitish became its leader.
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Personal Life
Early Life of Nitish Kumar
Nitish Kumar was born on 1 March 1951 in Bakhtiapur, Bihar. His father, Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh, was an ayurvedic doctor and also a freedom fighter. His mother, Parmeswari Devi, was a homemaker.
Nitish comes from the Kurmi farming community, and his family nickname is “Munna”. He completed his electrical engineering degree from Bihar College of Engineering (now NIT Patna) in 1972 and latter worked at the Bihar State Electricity Board.
Nitish Kumar married Manju Kumari Sinha in 1973. She was a teacher at Nehru Government Girls School in Patna. She passed away in 2007 due to acute pneumonia. They have one son, Nishant Kumar, who is a software engineer.
Lesser Known Facts Nitish Kumar
4 factsNitish Kumar’s father, late Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh, was not only an ayurvedic practitioner but also a freedom fighter who closely worked with Gandhian leaders and deeply involved in post-independence policies.
Nitish married Manju Kumari Singha in 1973. According to some publicly available sources, the weeding was arranged with a dowry of around Rs. 22,000. However, when Nitish learned of it, he demanded to dowry be returned.
During the 1975-71, when country was declared in Emergency, Nitish Kumar was arrested by the police for his involvement in the Jayprakash Narayan Movement.
Nitish was imprisoned for about nine months during the National Emergency declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for taking part in student protests and underground political activities.
