Nishant Kumar, the 50-year-old son of Bihar Chief Minister and JDU president Nitish Kumar, formally joined the party today. Nishant is beginning his political journey as his father prepares to move to the Rajya Sabha after leading the state government for over two decades. After becoming a member of the JDU, Nishant told party leaders, “I will try to take care of the party as an active member. My father has decided to move to the Rajya Sabha. It is his personal decision and I accept it. We will work under his guidance. I will try to live up to the trust of the party and people and strengthen the organisation.”
Seventy-five-year-old Nitish Kumar, whose development initiatives in Bihar earned him the name “sushashan babu” (meaning good governance man) has filed nomination papers to contest the March 16 election to Rajya Sabha, and is likely to vacate the Chief Minister post soon.
For decades, Nishant Kumar, an engineer by education, stayed away from the spotlight despite being the Chief Minister’s son. This was consistent with Nitish Kumar’s stand against dynasty politics. He reportedly allowed his son to join politics. Senior JDU leaders have welcomed Nishant’s entry into politics and said it reflects the will of JDU workers.
Nishant’s entry into the JDU comes amid speculation that he may be named Deputy Chief Minister in the BJP-JDU government after his father vacates the top post and moves to the Upper House of Parliament. The BJP is set to finally have a Chief Minister in Bihar from among its ranks.
Explaining his decision, Nitish Kumar has said he long harboured a wish to become a member of both Houses of Parliament and both Houses of the state legislature. He has already been a Lok Sabha MP, an MLA, and an MLC, and a Rajya Sabha stint would complete the quartet. This transition will help him achieve the rare record held by Lalu Yadav and late Sushil Modi, towering leaders in Bihar’s political landscape and Nitish Kumar’s peers since they rubbed shoulders during the anti-Emergency agitation.
Main opposition RJD has accused the BJP of carrying out a “political abduction” in Bihar, and said the core voter of Janata Dal (United) feels cheated now. Manoj Kumar Jha, RJD’s Rajya Sabha MP, said the party’s leader Tejashwi Yadav had repeatedly said during the Assembly polls campaign last year that Nitish Kumar would be a “temporary Chief Minister”. “A man who served as Chief Minister for 21 years now wants to come to Rajya Sabha. This is childish. At least, make a good argument,” Jha said.
The RJD MP drew parallels between Nitish Kumar and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by the US forces and brought to the US in January on drug trafficking charges. “What happened here is similar to what happened with Maduro in Venezuela, kidnapping with consent. His (Kumar) core voter feels cheated,” he said, stressing that this won’t go down well with anyone in Bihar.
Jha said the BJP had executed a plan in Maharashtra to “demote” Sena chief Eknath Shinde and make him Deputy Chief Minister after the NDA win in the 2024 Maharashtra polls. “They knew Bihar is not Maharashtra and they cannot demote Nitish Kumar. So they tweaked the model. They made Nitish ji desi Maduro,” he said.
