Indian Of The Year -- politics winner: Nitish Kumar

Source : CNN-IBN (ibnlive.in)



New Delhi: 2008 was a challenging year for India's politicians. From facing the challenges of terrorism to combating nature's fury in the case of Bihar floods, to confronting the voter in a series of state elections; the politician in India was constantly tested.

Three of our six nominees defeated the anti-incumbency syndrome and was rewarded by the voter for standing on the plank of good governance.

No one did this better than Sheila Dikshit, chosen for the third time in a row as the Chief Minister of Delhi, while Shivraj Singh Chauhan of Madhya Pradesh and Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh won for a second time.

Pranab Mukherjee - the Congress' man for all seasons - handled almost every major crisis faced by the Government, yet it is this man who has been chosen as CNN-IBN's Politician of the year for 2008.

Even as Bihar battled its worst ever floods, Nitish Kumar was a hands-on Chief Minister working tirelessly to bring relief and welfare to his people.

He rewrote the matrix of Bihar politics focusing on development and keeping a low profile that has won him many admirers.

While the claims of other contenders were strong, including the face of Kashmir's generation next Omar Abdullah, yet it was Nitish Kumar who many said lived up to this award best for putting Bihar, one of India's most backward and populous states back on the track to development

“The scale of his (Nitish’s) challenge is bigger that other politicians. To get Bihar back n track,” says Editor-in-Chief of IBN Network, Rajdeep Sardesai.

Nitish Kumar has redefined political charisma and perhaps created a role model for the leadership of the BIMARU states, where the leadership routinely squanders the mandate of the people.

In conditions where systems have broken down completely, he has been a quiet hard worker marked by integrity and dedication.