Nitish's Son Nishant Kumar Set To Join Politics; Could Be Sent To The Rajya Sabha, Opposition Claims It Is JDU's Compulsion
JDU leader Shravan Kumar said that Nishant’s entry will fulfil the long-standing desire of many young people who have been asking him to enter politics.
By Dev Raj
Published : March 3, 2026 at 12:58 PM IST
|Updated : March 3, 2026 at 3:36 PM IST
Patna: The Janata Dal United (JDU) announced on Tuesday that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant Kumar would enter politics. It put to rest all speculations going on in this regard for the past year.
“We want to tell on the occasion of Holi that Nishant ji is going to enter politics very soon. He will enter active politics. The wishes of the people and youths of the state, who had been suggesting and demanding his joining politics, will be fulfilled,” Rural Development Department (RDD) minister Sharwan Kumar said.
Considered a close aide of Nitish, Sharwan extended warm wishes, a bright future and success to Nishant in politics, but refused to elaborate on the mode of his entry and the role he will play.
“The leaders of our party will decide the manner in which he will join politics, but he is definitely going to enter politics. There are several possibilities for him in the field. He is young, and our leaders will make a decision on the basis of the popular demand,” the RDD minister said.
Sharwan’s words were echoed by rural works department (RWD) minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary, who is counted among the leaders close to Nitish.
“Nishant’s entry is a big Holi gift. It augurs well for the JDU. He is an educated man and has studied engineering. The rank and file of the party wanted him to enter active politics against the wishes of Nitish. The announcement will make the entire JDU family happy,” Choudhary said.
Praising Nishant as a bright young man exposed to the nitty-gritty of politics, Choudhary pointed out that he was “a photocopy of Nitish in mannerisms and the way he talks.”
Though the entry of Nitish’s only son in politics was being speculated on and off for the last year, it resurfaced recently with the state preparing for the polls to five Rajya Sabha seats that would be falling vacant in April.
There have been murmurs in the JDU about Nishant being considered as one of the candidates in the Rajya Sabha elections. The last date for filing the nominations is March 5, and the names of all the contestants, whether belonging to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), will be announced by Wednesday at the latest.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the decision of the JDU to bring in Nishant into active politics.
“We are happy over the decision by our ally and welcome Nishant’s entry into politics. We extend our best wishes and will support him in his endeavour,” BJP leader and state industries minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal said.
Nishant’s Importance For The JDU
Nitish’s only child, Nishant, started taking an interest in politics last year in the run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections.
It coincided with two things – symptoms of suspected dementia aggravating in Nitish and the JDU workers’ vociferous demand for Nishant to take over his mantle and perform an active role in the party to strengthen organisation.
Fifty-year-old Nishant has studied software engineering from BIT Mesra and is known for keeping his life guarded from public gaze. He is known to be a spiritually-inclined person. His entry into politics will act as a binding factor for the party and as a leader who will continue the legacy of Nitish.
RJD’s Guarded Approach On Nishant
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has taken a careful stance while commenting on Nishant’s entry in Bihar politics, saying it was his and Nitish’s prerogative.
It did not raise the issue of dynastic politics, something which Nitish had latched onto to attack the RJD during election campaigns and otherwise.
“It is the compulsion of the JDU to bring Nishant into politics. It will scatter and disintegrate if Nitish decides to exit from politics. There is no other leader apart from him who could keep the party united in the present circumstances,” RJD Bihar general secretary and spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan told ETV Bharat.
Gagan asserted that the RJD gave no importance to dynastic politics because only those leaders become popular who are able to attract the support of the public.
“Dynastic politics is nothing. It was just a narrative to defame and attack RJD party president Lalu Prasad despite the fact that there are several leaders in the BJP and the JDU who have indulged in promoting their children in politics. It's okay if Nishant comes to politics, but the public will test his capabilities in future,” Gagan said.
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