Nishant joins JD(U); vows to take father Nitish’s work forward, strengthen party

JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha said Nishant Kumar is the future of the party and that the entire JD(U) would work with him.

Nishant Kumar, the son of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, formally joined his father’s Janata Dal (United) at the party’s office in Patna on Sunday, marking the beginning of his political career amid strong support from party leaders and workers.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's son Nishant after he joined the Janata Dal (United) in Patna on Sunday. (PTI)

JD(U) working president and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Jha inducted Nishant Kumar into the party. After taking the membership, Nishant Kumar also addressed party workers present at the event.

“I will work for the party as an active member. My father has decided to go to Rajya Sabha and I respect his decision. I will try to live up to the faith that the people and the party have shown in me. I will try to take forward what my father has done in 20 years. Everyone remembers what my father has done for the state,” he said.

He added that he would work to strengthen the party. “I request everyone to maintain faith in my father. I will work under his guidance. I will try to make a place in people’s hearts. I respect my father’s decision to move to Rajya Sabha,” he said.

Nishant Kumar received a warm welcome from party workers when he arrived at the JD(U) office. During the event, he touched the feet of senior leaders present on the stage to seek their blessings and greeted supporters with folded hands.

JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha said Nishant Kumar is the future of the party and that the entire JD(U) would work with him.

However, it remains to be seen what position he will receive in the party and what role he may play in any future government formation. A senior party leader said that Sunday’s event marked only his formal entry into the party and that his role would gradually be defined as he starts taking the organisation forward.

The chief minister stayed away from the function, though several Union and state ministers from the party, along with other leaders, were present on the occasion. Party leaders expressed enthusiasm over Nishant’s entry into politics, noting that he had largely remained away from public life until now.

The excitement within the JD(U) over Nishant’s political debut was clearly visible across Patna ahead of the function. Hundreds of party workers gathered at the JD(U) office early in the morning with camels, horses and bands to give the event a festive atmosphere.

Large hoardings were also put up at the party office, along nearby roads and at key intersections across the city. The posters carried the message: “The beginning of a new chapter of developed Bihar – Nishant Kumar,” projecting him as part of the party’s future leadership and signalling a possible transition within the organisation.

While Nishant’s entry into politics marks the beginning of his journey in the unpredictable political landscape, the real test of his leadership will unfold over time. For now, his induction has temporarily eased growing questions within the party about leadership succession and concerns regarding its future after Nitish Kumar.

“Nitish Kumar’s political journey started with student politics. He determined the direction of Bihar’s politics in the last two decades, and made the JD(U) an integral player and a prerequisite for any government formation. That kind of deft manoeuvring will not be easy for Nishant, who has hitherto been reluctant to join politics and remained uninitiated, but time, circumstances and opportunity are often the best teacher,” said social analyst Nawal Kishor Choudhary.

Pushpendra, former professor and chairman of the Patna centre of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), said there had been understandable apprehension within the JD(U) about the party’s future after Nitish Kumar, as its leadership has long revolved around him without a clearly defined second line.

“Under such circumstances, the party leaders and workers feel that the one person who can save the JD(U) and take the party forward is Nishant, who has the advantage of being the son of Nitish Kumar for whole-hog acceptance. In such parties, only a family member can act as a glue to keep the party united. But for Nishant, it will be a challenge to carry forward Nitish Kumar’s legacy once the initial euphoria subsides and the new regime takes control,” he added.