Nishant Kumar, son of Bihar Chief Minister and JDU president Nitish Kumar, officially joined his father’s party today.
At 50, Nishant is stepping into politics just as Nitish, after more than twenty years leading Bihar, gets ready to head to the Rajya Sabha.
Nitish Kumar’s Son Nishant Kumar Joins JD(U)
Nitish, now 75, became known as “sushashan babu” for his focus on development. He’s filed his nomination for the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections and looks set to leave the Chief Minister’s chair soon.
Nishant’s move into the JDU has everyone talking. There’s buzz he could become Deputy Chief Minister in the BJP-JDU government once his father moves on. That would finally give the BJP a Chief Minister of its own in Bihar.
Nitish explained his decision by saying he always wanted to be a member of both Houses of Parliament and both Houses of the state legislature.
Will Nishant Kumar Become Bihar Deputy CM?
He’s already done stints as a Lok Sabha MP, an MLA, and an MLC, so a Rajya Sabha post would complete the set. It’s a rare achievement, one shared by leaders like Lalu Yadav and the late Sushil Modi, who, like Nitish, came up during the anti-Emergency movement.
Meanwhile, the main opposition RJD is not holding back. They accuse the BJP of “political abduction” in Bihar and say that core JDU voters feel betrayed.
RJD’s Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha pointed out that Tejashwi Yadav, their leader, kept telling voters last year that Nitish would only be a “temporary Chief Minister.”
Now, after 21 years at the top, Nitish wants to shift to the Rajya Sabha. “This is childish,” Jha said. “At least come up with a good reason.”
