PatnaSeptember 7, 2025 09:00 AM IST
First published on: Sep 7, 2025 at 09:00 AM IST
With Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha, an NDA ally, again calling for the entry of Nishant Kumar, the son of Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar, into politics in the run-up to the state Assembly polls due in November this year, several JD(U) leaders have echoed his pitch.
At the RLM’s rally in Patna Friday, Kushwaha said, “If Nishant Kumar does not enter politics immediately, JD(U) would suffer damage (in the Assembly polls).”
A source close to Nitish told The Indian Express that Nishant “has been waiting” to get into politics and “needs his father’s approval”. “We know about the CM’s stand about not promoting dynasty, but we have to be pragmatic. If the JD(U) has to survive and thrive as a party, Nishant has to be brought into politics. He alone can re-energise the cadre and help the party hold its ground,” the source added.
JD(U) sources said Nishant has been “on top of key government decisions and political developments” besides reading works of socialist icons such as Rammanohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan.
Sources said a section of the JD(U) leaders have been “trying to push the CM to give a green signal to Nishant’s entry into politics”.
A JD(U) leader pointed out that there have been growing concerns among the party’s rank and file about its future because of Nitish’s “health issues and its implications for party organisation and governance”.
A JD(U) leader said: “CM Nitish Kumar is not the same leader he used to be. We also know how some bureaucrats have been prevailing over key policy decisions… Now that we are going to polls, we need Nishant to give the message that JD(U)’s succession plan is ready.”
He said that “several recent state government’s decisions, especially those related to a few government appointments favouring some politicians and bureaucrats” have also been “reflective of the CM not being firmly in control”.
Another JD(U) leader said the party has been losing ground in the state. “NDA alliance has held meetings in over 100 Assembly segments. Many NDA supporters attended these meetings…We have observed that the presence of Dalits and youths in our rallies has reduced. The JD(U) has been losing its hold. Under these circumstances, Nishant can give a boost to the party,” said the leader.
Another party leader said that Nitish’s stand against “dynastic politics” — which has also been one of his main planks — was holding him back on the question of Nishant’s political plunge. “He (Nitish) has been asked about Nishant’s entry into politics several times. Even some people from Nalanda (Nitish’s home turf) pitched the idea of Nishant contesting from Harnaut from where Nitish Kumar had begun his electoral journey. But it is entirely up to Nitish to decide about Nishant’s entry into politics,” the leader said.
JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha recently told a news channel that though he “personally wanted Nishant to join the party, the final decision has to be taken only by Nitish Kumar”.
Nishant has reportedly been willing to formally join the party since January this year, when he first appeared before the media to appeal to the people to support his father. Nishant has since made such appearances before the media a few more times.