2013 proved to be a tough year for Nitish Kumar who had to walk the tightrope after being pushed to the brink following JD-U's split from BJP, the terror attack in Bodh Gaya and serial blasts in the state capital during Narendra Modi's rally.
Bihar government, which had earned praise from within the country as well as abroad due to a slew of factors like improved law and order situation, a high 14 per cent annual economic growth and the novel initiative of bicycle scheme for girls, saw a dent in its image after the terror attacks.
The arrest of Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and his aide Asadullah from Raxual on India-Nepal border in August unravelled a terror network in the state. In addition to the two blasts, the state was rocked by several incidents of Maoists attacks in Naxal-hit areas like Jamui, Gaya and Aurangabad killing nearly 25 security personnel.
The death of 23 children after eating contaminated midday meal in a school in Saran district in July brought another infamy to the state.
Though the Nitish Kumar government won the trust vote with support from Congress and Independents after parting ways with BJP, it nonetheless lost its earlier sheen due to Naxal and terrorists attacks and some criminal episodes prompting the Opposition BJP to allege that the state appears to be returning to old days of "jungle raj".
The period also witnessed a fierce fight between old rivals Kumar and his Gujarat counterpart Modi though both refrained from taking each other's name.
