Fresh speculation over the possible political debut of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s son, Nishant Kumar, has been fuelled by the announcement of a public meeting scheduled for Sunday evening.
Posters promoting the event, appeared near the headquarters of the Janata Dal (United), which is headed by Nitish Kumar, the state’s longest-serving chief minister.
The 40-something only child of the JD(U) leader has openly expressed his desire for his father to secure another term in office, though he has sidestepped direct questions about his own political ambitions.
According to the posters, Nishant Kumar will “share his thoughts on the public welfare schemes launched by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar” during the meeting.
Prominent young leaders in Bihar politics, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav and Union Minister Chirag Paswan, have said they would “welcome” Nishant’s entry into politics, should he make that “personal” choice, despite being on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
However, political veterans remain sceptical, noting Nitish Kumar’s public stance against “dynasty politics” and suggesting he may not allow his son to enter public life until his own retirement from active politics.
Speculation about Nishant’s entry had intensified around Holi earlier this year, when he spoke at length about his father’s achievements and urged voters to re-elect him.
Around that time, posters branding Nishant as “the new hope” of the JD(U) appeared across Patna, and media reports suggested plans were under consideration to field him from Harnaut, the assembly seat once held by his father.
Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, has recently claimed that a faction within the JD(U), allegedly aligned with the BJP, is blocking Nishant’s political entry.
According to him, the group fears that the party’s long-term prospects could grow stronger if it continues to bank on the charisma of its supremo’s family.
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