NITISH Kumar may be going down the road that he once swore against as his party JD(U) calls for entry of his son Nishant into politics. However, few among his colleagues or rivals seem to be raising an eyebrow – and not the least because Nitish, a leader born out of socialist politics, has proved pretty flexible as far as resolutions go. The argument being offered is that Nishant Kumar, a computer science graduate from the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, fills the gap of “educated youth in active politics”. Till he appeared by Nitish’s side at an event to unveil statues of freedom fighters, including that of his grandfather Kaviraj Ramlakhan Singh Vaidya, in Bakhtiyarpur on January 8, Nishant was believed to not harbour any interest in politics. The only son of Nitish and his late wife Manju Sinha, 48-year-old Nishant is not known to have held any job and kept away from the limelight, despite spending most of his time in Patna. The few who claim to be close to him say he is into spirituality and books on philosophy, and that despite keeping abreast of political developments, has never tried to throw his weight around in his father’s regime. A source close to Nishant said that despite this seeming disinterest, his joining politics has been on the cards for some time. "There have been several discussions on the subject with Nishant. He asked us to wait. CM Nitish Kumar also knows about it. Nishant is just waiting for a green signal from his father,” said the source. JD(U) minister Shrawan Kumar, a long-time colleague of Nitish going back to the JP Movement, was among the first to support the idea of Nishant taking to politics. He was seconded soon after by Ashok Kumar Choudhary, also a minister and the JD(U) national general secretary, who said: "We welcome the idea of Nishant joining politics. More and more educated and competent youth should join politics.” He went on to give the example of his daughter Sambhavi Choudhary, who won from Samastipur in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on the ticket of the LJP (Ram Vilas). While other senior leaders have kept mum, the general belief in the party is that the formal plunge will happen after Holi, in March. That will still leave several months before the Bihar Assembly elections, seen as an uphill battle for Nitish, amidst his own illness, an aggressive ally in the BJP and a confident rival in the RJD. With Nitish’s contemporary and RJD chief Lalu Prasad having passed the baton on to son Tejashwi Yadav, the JD(U) could be seeking a counter in Nishant. Awadhesh Kumar, a close relative of Nitish, said: "Nitish Kumar has created a big political legacy. and we want Nishant to enter politics now. Nishant has a good understanding of Bihar and national politics.” Nitish’s former allies RJD and Congress, who have often faced criticism from him over “promoting dynastic politics”, said they had nothing against Nishant following his father into politics. RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta told The Indian Express: "India is a young country, in the sense that people below the age of 35 form a dominant chunk. Bihar is also a young state in this sense… Nishant is an educated person. We welcome it if he joins politics.” Senior Congress leader and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra echoed this, saying: "The country needs the force of youth.” JD(U) ally BJP, which also attacks Opposition parties over dynasty politics despite many sons and daughters of its own party leaders in its ranks, said they were in support of Nishant joining politics. BJP spokesperson Kuntal Krishna said: "We will welcome Nishant. Let the JD(U) take a call on this.” A BJP leader said they were aware that the JD(U) had a vested interest in putting up a claimant for the legacy of Nitish, who has ruled Bihar largely uninterrupted since 2005. "Nitish is a stakeholder of 18-22% votes, with a reach among EBCs, Luv-Kush (OBCs, Kurmis and Koeris), women and Dalits. With the JD(U) being shaky due to Nitish Kumar's failing health, it has been looking for a face for the future,” said the leader. A JD(U) leader said there is another reason Nishant fits the bill. "We are a socialist party and it should be led by an OBC leader. Our current leaders (apart from Nitish), like Rajiv Ranjan Singh (a Union minister), Sanjay K Jha (Rajya Sabha MP and national working president) and Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Ashok Kimar Choudhary (Bihar ministers) cannot be accepted as party leaders (all are upper castes). Nishant alone can lead the party in the near future and give it longevity.” The leader mentioned another fast-rising face, former bureaucrat Manish Kumar Verma, but said he is too new to be accepted as party leader.
