Nitish agrees to let son Nishant enter politics; Rajya Sabha not ruled out

Patna: Eschewing aversion for “dynasty politics”, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday agreed to launch his only son Nishant in politics, a development that led to jubilations in the JD(U) and triggered speculation of a Rajya Sabha berth for the scion.

The announcement came from state Rural Development Minister and senior party leader Shrawon Kumar, who has been a close aide of the JD(U) supremo since the Samata Party days, in the 1990s.

“On the eve of Holi, I have some good news to share with the people of Bihar. It has been some time since there have been demands, from within the JD(U) as well as from among the state’s youth, that Nishant, the son of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, join politics. Decks have been cleared for that and a formal announcement will be made in a day or two,” Shrawon Kumar told news agency.

When he was asked whether the JD(U) supremo’s son, an engineering graduate who is in his 40s, could be one of the two party candidates for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections, the JD(U) leader replied, “Anything is possible. All would be made known in a day or two after top party leaders sit down to discuss these things.”

As soon as the news spread, celebrations erupted at the JD(U)’s state headquarters here, the walls of which have for some time been adorned with posters demanding that the supreme leader’s son take over the reins from his father.