Nishant Kumar Meets JD(U) MLAs Ahead of Party Entry, Deputy CM Buzz

Nishant, 50, is set to formally join the JD(U) on Sunday, International Women’s Day, with the party strategically timing the event as a “mark of respect to the vast women constituency of Nitish Kumar”.

On Saturday, Nishant held a meeting with JD(U) MLAs, district party presidents and senior functionaries including Sanjay Jha and Union minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh or Lalan Singh. Jha introduced him to the attendees. Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama, Nishant was seen rising from his chair to greet them. Though it was dubbed as an informal meeting, the optics was clear that the party is pushing for his rise as Nitish’s “successor”, even though the latter has always been known as a staunch critic of dynasty politics.

While a formal meeting of the JD(U) Legislature Party will take place only after Nitish resigns as the CM following his election to the Rajya Sabha, some party leaders wasted no time in declaring Nishant as Nitish’s “successor”.

Harnauat MLA Harinarayan Singh told reporters: “Nishant Kumar will be our leader. He is going to become our Legislature Party leader and Deputy CM.”

This was also echoed by banners and posters put up by several JD(U) workers near the party headquarters and other key areas of the state capital.

Some of them called Nishant an “inheritor of Nitish Kumar’s political legacy of development with social justice”. One poster read: “Viksit Bihar ke naye adhyay ki shuruaat (beginning of a new chapter of developed Bihar)”. Another one said, “Nishant ke saath, vikas ka naya shankhnaad (new beginning of development with Nishant”.

In another meeting during the day, Nishant interacted with young JD(U) leaders and legislators, who included Chetan Anand (son of former MP Anand Mohan), Ruhail Ranjan (son of ex-MLA Rajib Ranjan), and Komal Singh (daughter of MLC Dinesh Singh and Vaishali LJP (RV) MP Veena Devi). Bihar minister and veteran leader from Nalanda, Shravan Kumar, who was the first person to support Nishant’s entry into politics, was also present at the meeting.

Shravan later said: “JD(U) workers are happy with Nishant joining the party. We would mark the special event Sunday. He is the future of JD (U).”

A JD (U) district president said: “Nishant Kumar treated us very warmly. It is mark of a true leader. We can see glimpses of Nitish Kumar in him.”

Nishant is likely to be nominated to the Legislative Council a few months after the formation of a new BJP-led government in the state.

JD (U) sources said Nishant could be the party’s lone Deputy CM in the new government. “We would not like to have two power centres in the party. Two Deputy CMs, like the BJP has had in the Nitish-led government, could send confusing signals.”