Bihar: Like father, like son? Nishant Kumar likely to inherit father Nitish Kumar’s political legacy. What does it mean?

Bihar: Janata Dal (United) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant Kumar is likely to join politics ahead of assembly elections in the state scheduled later this year.

Though there hasn’t been any official word yet, reports suggest the party will likely welcome Nishant as Nitish’s political heir after Holi.

“He seems to be ready to join politics. It is only about getting the green signal from Nitish Kumar,” a JD(U) source was quoted as saying in a report by the Indian Express.

Nitish Kumar has been a staunch critic of dynastic politics and has often criticised the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) for promoting ‘family’. But now, according to the Indian Express report, there is an ‘ever-growing demand from the party workers’ about Nishant’s entry into politics. The Bihar chief minister has been informed about this.

Low Profile

Nitish Kumar, 73, is the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar. Nishant has so far maintained a low profile, yet his name as Nitish Kumar’s political heir has been doing the rounds within the JD(U) circles for quite some time now.

Initially, some JD-U leaders downplayed Nishant’s plan to join politics. On January 8, however, the 48-year-old accompanied his father to their hometown of Bakhtiyarpur to unveil statues of freedom fighters.

What it means for Bihar?

In July last year, Nishant had dismissed speculations of his entry into politics and said he had chosen the path of spirituality. Many, however, call the January 8 event as Nishant’s first public appearance. He was last seen at a political function at the time of his father’s oath-taking ceremony in 2015.

Bihar has seen many sons rise in political arenas. Nishant's entry would add to the already existing list. The speculations about Nishant's political entry assume significance since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to contest the upcoming Bihar elections with Nitish Kumar as the chief ministerial face. The JD-U and BJP are alliance partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

“Lalu Prasad had projected his son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as the next leader of the party in 2013. Ram Vilas Paswan also projected his son Chirag around the same time. It was Chirag who had been instrumental in bringing LJP to the NDA fold before the 2014 polls. Similarly, Tejashwi had led the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan to 110 seats — only 12 short of a majority — in the 2020 Assembly polls,” the JD-U leader told Indian Express.

The 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election for all 243 constituencies is scheduled to be held on October or November 2025

“Had Nishant joined politics a decade ago, he could have been a natural heir to Nitish Kumar,” the leader said.

Nitish Kumar is known for switching sides. In January last year, he resigned as Bihar chief minister after severing ties with the RJD-led ‘Mahagathbandhan’ to break away from the ruling government.

Who is Nishant Kumar?

Nishant Kumar was born on July 20, 1975. He is the only son of Nishit Kumar and Manju Sinha, who passed away in 2007.

A software engineer and an alumnus of the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) Mesra, Nishant has kept a relatively low profile and has stayed away from political events.

Nishant’s elevation will mean another son rise in India’s politics. In Tamil Nadu, Udhaynaidhi Stalin, expected to carry forward the legacy of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo MK Stalin, was made deputy chief minister in the DMK-Congress government in September last year. Stalin is himself son of DMK veteran and former chief minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi.

In Andhra Pradesh, Nara Lokesh is a minister in his father and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu’s government.