Sources in the JD(U) say these moves are signs that Nitish Kumar is testing the waters before Nishant enters the party. “Nishant’s entry is only a matter of time,” said a source in the party.
But some party leaders are concerned that bringing Nishant into the fold could undermine the JD(U)’s long-standing anti-dynasty stance against Lalu Yadav and disrupt the delicate balance of power within the party.
JD(U) MLC Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha told reporters senior party leaders hadn’t said anything about Nishant’s entry and the posters were not official party posters.
“He (Nishant) can join politics but if he were inducted as Nitish Kumar’s inheritor, what would be the difference between Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar?” Kushwaha said.
“I visited the chief minister’s residence on Holi and I sat with the chief minister. I did not meet Nishant,” he said.
However, after a controversy erupted over his statement, Kushwaha said his words had been misconstrued and he was not opposed to Nishant’s entry into the JD(U).
“Nitish Kumarji is the leader of the party and president too. Whatever decision he takes, everybody will obey it. As far as Nishant is concerned, it’s up to the chief minister to take a decision about his entry into the party. Nitishji can’t be compared with Lalu Prasad,” Kushwaha told ThePrint.
Over the years, Nitish Kumar has repeatedly railed against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Yadav for promoting his family in politics.
The chief minister took a dig at Lalu Yadav last year at a rally in Purnia during a bypoll.
“In politics, I never promoted my family although today people promote their family and distribute tickets among family,” he said. “For me, the entire Bihar is family.”
During the entire Lok Sabha campaign, Nitish attacked Lalu for promoting his family at one rally after another.
“He (Lalu) works only for his family. His wife, sons and daughters are everything for him. He himself was in power… then he brought his sons forward and now he is bringing his daughters forward,” Nitish said at a rally in Supaul. “But we work for everyone. For me, the whole of Bihar is my family.”
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Dynasty dilemma and political calculations
Although the JD(U) remains tight-lipped about Nishant’s entry into politics and Nitish has kept his cards close to his chest, the chief minister has refrained from attacking Lalu Yadav over dynasty politics since talk about Nishant’s political debut began.
Many party leaders say the most pressing concern within the JD(U) is not just about losing the anti-dynasty narrative, but also about the party’s future itself.
“Until Nitish Kumar is healthy and working, everybody is secure about their future. But what will happen after Nitish is a question looming before party leaders,” said one party leader.
“We can’t lose the narrative and the party’s future is more important than the narrative.”
Another JD(U) MLA said: “The day Nishant joins politics, the JD(U) will lose the narrative advantage of dynasty politics. Nitish had repeatedly taken digs at Lalu for promoting family in politics.”
He added that Lalu’s son and Nishant’s case weren’t comparable as Nishant was an engineer and had achieved success on his own merit. “He never flashed his power like Lalu’s son when he met leaders on Holi. He touched the feet of many senior leaders to show gratitude and project the image that he respects elders in the party despite being the CM’s son.”
“But the question is more about the party’s future,” he said.
Sources in the JD(U) say many party leaders are not keen on Nishant entry as they enjoy a closer working relationship with Nitish and fear their balance of power will get disturbed.
They say they want to maintain the status quo in the party and strengthen ties with the BJP for the assembly election this year. Although they are against Nishant’s entry, they admit they can’t defy Nitish.
Political analyst D.M. Diwakar of the A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies said the move could be part of Nitish Kumar’s strategy to secure his party’s future.
“Nitish is a shrewd politician. He knows murmurs about his age and pressure from the BJP for generational change could grow after the polls. His challenge is to protect his power and the party,” Diwakar told ThePrint.
“Half of his party leaders see their future in the BJP and many in the RJD. To keep the party’s cadre energised and prevent poaching, Nishant’s entry is one option for the aging Nitish Kumar,” he added.
Diwakar said Nitish Kumar has never allowed parallel power centres within the party and has previously removed influential leaders like George Fernandes, Sharad Yadav and R.C.P. Singh when they tried to assert their independence within the party.
“So, before things start slipping from his hands, Nitish wants to define the structure of power in the party,” said Sinha.
In recent months, Nitish Kumar’s occasional slip-ups, such as forgetting names and repeating the same speech, have been mocked by Prashant Kishore and Tejashwi Yadav.
Tejashwi Yadav went as far as to call Nitish a “parua CM” (ceremonial chief minister) with officers running Bihar.
He was sharply critical during an assembly session rocked by the killing of two police officers by criminals, attacking the chief minister over what he described as a “jungle raj.” A few ruling party MLAs even demanded the adoption of the “Yogi model” to tackle crime.
“There is no alternative but to adopt the ‘Yogi model’, where bullets are met with bullets. If we offer flowers to criminals firing at cops, we must be ready to lay wreaths on the bodies of martyrs,” JD(U) MLA Sanjeev Kumar said.
These growing concerns and restiveness have alarmed Nitish and Nishant’s launch could help reassert control over the party.
‘Listening to Bihar’s voice’
Speculation over Nishant’s political entry first gained ground after Holi celebrations when posters of Nishant Kumar and Nitish, thanking Nishant for “listening to Bihar’s voice”, emerged outside the JD(U) office.
“Bihar ki maang, sun liye Nishant, bahut bahut dhanyawad (Thank you, Nishant, for listening to the demands of Bihar,” said the poster.
In February, a similar poster appeared outside the JD(U) office, but party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar downplayed its significance.
“Anyone can put up posters outside the party offices. Nishant has achieved everything on his own capabilities. However, I want to reiterate that Nitish Kumar is the NDA’s choice for the 2025 Bihar polls,” he told the media.
However, the Holi Milan event at the chief minister’s residence, where Nishant was photographed alongside senior leaders Vijay Chaudhary and Sanjay Jha, was seen by many as a clearer indication that Nitish Kumar wasn’t just testing the waters.
“Nishant has entered politics; the formality will be completed later. It was the workers’ demand, and he consented. He touched my feet and I blessed him to contest the polls,” JD(U) leader and former minister Jai Kumar Singh told ThePrint.
However, many senior JD(U) leaders considered close to Nitish Kumar have been saying that only he could decide because he had formed the party.
“Whatever Nitish wants will happen in the JD(U). He is the one who has established this party, he is the most accepted leader of the party,” Vijay Chaudhary, regarded as being close to the chief minister, told the media.
“Who to bring forward in the party, who to give responsibility, all this is decided by Nitish Kumar. Nitish Kumar will also take decisions for the future; whatever decision he takes, every party worker will accept it.”
Party leader Ashok Choudhary also endorsed the JD(U)’s stand that this was not a political issue but a “father-and-son issue”.
“Whatever Nitish decides, it will be acceptable to everybody,” he said.
Many party leaders said it was just a matter of time as Nitish knew the sentiments of the party and was only testing the waters before making the final announcement.
Others argue Nitish has been trying to deflect accusations of dynastic politics by promoting Ram Nath Thakur, the son of Bihar social justice icon Karpoori Thakur, for induction into the union cabinet.
“Nishant’s clean image and background give him an advantage over Tejashwi Yadav. The workers’ demand for Nishant’s entry provides the party a narrative advantage to counter such charges,” said a party leader.
“After Nishant’s entry, speculation and concerns about the JD(U)’s future will end. It’s not Nitish but workers are demanding the entry of Nishant,” Bhishm Sahni, JD(U) MLC told ThePrint.
“The party is considering his entry and now it’s a matter of time before he joins.”
As speculation over Nishant’s political entry continues, all eyes are now on Nitish Kumar.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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