Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant Kumar will join the Janata Dal (United) on Sunday, March 8, the party confirmed on Friday. This marks a historic shift in the political landscape of Bihar. After years of Nitish Kumar strictly opposing dynastic politics, his only son, Nishant Kumar, is set to formally enter the arena.
The timing of Nishant’s entry is directly related to his father’s significant transition. On Thursday, March 5, Nitish Kumar filed his nomination to the Rajya Sabha, signaling the end of his record tenure as Chief Minister.
However, JD (U) president Neeraj Kumar informed that during a meeting at the CM’s house, Union Minister and MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan) and MP Sanjay Jha suggested bringing Nishant into state politics and said he would take over party membership tomorrow.
“Union minister Lalan Singh and MP Sanjay Jha proposed that Nishant Kumar join the party and the party enthusiastically welcomed the proposal. So Nishant Kumar will join the party tomorrow. He has agreed and will also conduct a political tour in the state,” the JD(U) leader said on the state shift issue without elaborating on the CM’s decision on Nishant’s post-govt policy.
He further stated that “there was no discussion at the meeting about the formation of a coalition government”.
He also said that party leaders expressed disappointment over Nitish Kumar’s decision but expressed support for his new political path.
“A meeting of party leaders was held today in the presence of JDU chief and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. In the meeting we all expressed the trouble and grief of the party and the people over his decision, but since you have made a decision, the party stands by you as you have made the party,” he said.
Moreover, JD(U) MLA Vinay Chaudhary also confirmed Nishant Kumar’s entry into the party without confirming his role and date of entry.
“The CM presented his views while the cabinet members expressed their concerns. Nitish Kumar said he will reside in Patna and continue to oversee and lead the party. We are saddened by his decision but he has our full support. Nishant Kumar will join state politics soon. When and how will be clear,” he said.
JD(U) leaders, including minister Ashok Choudhary and Shrawon Kumar, described Nishant’s entry as a “Holi gift” to party workers who have long demanded a successor from within the family to maintain the party’s core support base.
While Nishant has lived a low-key life as a software engineer (a graduate of BIT Mesra), speculation is rife that he could be appointed Deputy Chief Minister in the new NDA government or potentially take a leadership role in the party to prevent a vacuum when Nitish moves to Delhi.
For more than two decades, Nitish Kumar has been the face of “anti-family” politics in Bihar, often using it as a primary weapon against RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav. Nishant himself has historically shunned the limelight, once famously declaring that he was “not interested in politics”. However, with Nitish’s health under scrutiny and the JD(U) facing a post-Nit era, “political necessity” seems to have trumped past attitudes.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who filed his nomination to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, extended his support and guidance to the new government and the party towards the development of the state.
“I am going to Rajya Sabha. It will not be a problem for all of you. I will also stay in Bihar; all the work will continue. Work hard for the development of Bihar. I will oversee everything; don’t worry,” Kumar said.
The state’s longest-serving chief minister, Nitish Kumar, has filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections, extending “full support” to the new government.
Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar won his fifth election in 2025 as the NDA secured a two-thirds majority in Bihar and was sworn in as the state’s chief minister for the tenth time.
The 75-year-old wrote a heartfelt message announcing his decision. He expressed his desire to become a member of both the houses of the Bihar Legislature and the Houses of Parliament. He asserted his commitment to build a “developed Bihar” and extended his “cooperation and guidance” to the new government
