Former chief minister and Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant is expected to be inducted into the Bihar cabinet when chief minister Samrat Choudhary expands his council of ministers on Thursday, people familiar with the development said.
“Nishant, who had so far avoided taking any formal political or governmental role despite growing speculation over his future, recently conveyed his willingness to play a more active role in governance,” a person cited above said.
Nishant Kumar formally joined the Janata Dal (United) on March 8, days after his father filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha and signalled the end of his record-breaking tenure as Bihar chief minister. Till then, Nishant had remained out of public life by choosing not to formally join the JD(U) or take on social or political assignments.
A party leader said discussions were underway to create an informal “core team” around him within the cabinet structure, with one or two young JD(U) legislators likely to be elevated as ministers to support the party’s next-generation leadership transition, in case he engages himself in party activities
Among the younger JD(U) faces being discussed are legislators Rahul Ranjan, Navin Kumar Mandal, Chetan Anand, Komal Singh, Rituraj Kumar, Atirek Kumar, Aditya Kumar and Abhishek Anand.
{{/usCountry}}Among the younger JD(U) faces being discussed are legislators Rahul Ranjan, Navin Kumar Mandal, Chetan Anand, Komal Singh, Rituraj Kumar, Atirek Kumar, Aditya Kumar and Abhishek Anand.
{{/usCountry}}However, the names would only become clear once the swearing-in ceremony takes place on Thursday..
Some JD(U) leaders believe Nishant may still confine himself, for now, with gaining administrative experience as a minister before turning his focus to political matters.
Another JD(U) leader said there was broad agreement among the Bharatiya Janata Party, the JD(U), and smaller allies on the allocation of ministerial berths. However, the final list is still awaiting approval from the BJP’s central leadership.
A JD(U) leader said Shravan Kumar, Ashok Choudhary and Jama Khan are likely to retain ministerial positions in line with the party’s inclination to underscore continuity and administrative experience. Leasi Singh, Sheila Mandal, Sunil Kumar, Madan Sahni and Ratnesh Sada are also expected to be appointed to the council of ministers again.
A senior Bihar BJP leader said that Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha is likely to retain Santosh Suman in the cabinet, while the Rashtriya Lok Morcha led by Upendra Kushwaha can get one ministerial berth for his party.
Patna-based political analyst Sanjay Upadhyay said that Nishant Kumar’s entry into government would mark the clearest sign of the JD(U)’s preparations for a post-Nitish political era.
“It will consolidate the Kurmi-Koiri (Luv-Kush) vote-base for the NDA as Samrat is now the undisputed leader of Koiri (Kushwaha) and Nishant is the new crown of Kurmi. Upendra Kushwaha doesn’t seem to have much bargaining power, so at most he’ll push for his wife, Snehlata Kushwaha, instead of his son Deepak Prakash, who is still not a member of either House. Kushwaha is also trying to get a seat in the union cabinet for himself, but with limited clout in the state it does not look practical,” he said.