Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar will join the Janata Dal (United) on Sunday and will likely be made the deputy chief minister of Bihar, informed party's working president Sanjay Kumar Jha during a key meeting on Friday. The development comes a day after Nitish Kumar filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha.
JD(U) workers and leaders have consistently demanded that Nishant must join politics. This demand was once again raised during Friday's meeting, with party leaders saying that Nishant would be the best choice to replace his father. Notably, during the meeting, Nitish Kumar also said he would keep an oversight over the party even after he become a Rajya Sabha member.
Nishant, the next deputy CM of Bihar
With Nitish moving to the Upper House, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to have a chief minister of its own for the first time in Bihar. At the same time, Nishant would be made the deputy chief minister in the state, said sources on Friday.
Demands are also being made that Nitish be made the JDU chief, as his entry could avoid a split in the party. Some other names, including those of Union Minister Lallan Singh, Bihar Ministers Ashok Choudhary and Vijay Choudhary, and Sanjay Kumar Jha, are being discussed for the JDU top post.
Nitish Kumar's Rajya Sabha move
Coming to Nitish Kumar, the longest serving chief minister of Bihar will move to the Rajya Sabha. On Thursday, he said it was his wish from the beginning of his political career to become a member of both Houses of Parliament and a member of both Houses of the Bihar legislature. But he has asserted that he would extend his complete support and cooperation to the next government in Bihar.
"For more than two decades, you have consistently placed your trust and support in me, and it is on the strength of that trust that we have served Bihar and all of you with complete dedication. It was the power of your trust and support that has enabled Bihar today to present a new dimension of development and dignity," he posted on X in Hindi.
"I want to assure you with complete honesty that my relationship with you will continue in the future as well, and my resolve to work together with you to build a developed Bihar will remain steadfast. The new government that will be formed will have my full cooperation and guidance," he added.
