Nalin Verma 
Patna: In his debut political statement, Nishant Kumar, the 48-year-old engineer son of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserted that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) should declare his father as the chief ministerial candidate in the run-up to the assembly elections due in October/November in Bihar.
With this statement, Nishant has effectively derailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to control Bihar.
A day after Modi turned an official event – releasing funds under the Kisan Samman Yojana in Bhagalpur on February 24 – into a political stage, he used the sugar-coated term “ladla” (lovable) for the Bihar Chief Minister.
Reacting to this, Nitish’s son explicitly stated, “Bihar has progressed exponentially ever since ‘Papa’ became the chief minister in 2005. Both NDA constituents – the Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – should declare him the CM candidate ahead of the polls.”
The word “ladla” might sound pleasant to a gullible audience, but the ever-ambitious Modi had cleverly used it to camouflage his larger design – replacing Nitish with his own person for the top post, as he has done in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and other states.
In fact, while he used words such as “ladla,” Modi has deviated from his own commitment during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, where he had repeatedly assured the public that “Nitish Kumar would continue to lead the NDA as Bihar chief minister.”
Also Read: Why Bihar Will Not Go the Delhi Way
His most trusted lieutenant, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, too had echoed the same promise. At the time, Nitish had ditched the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and returned to the NDA, boosting Modi’s prospects.
However, in December last year, Amit Shah contradicted his earlier stance, stating, “We will sit together and take a decision on the issue (of Nitish being declared the chief ministerial face). Once we make a decision, we will let you know.”
This clear shift in the tone sparked sharp reactions from the JD(U) camp close to Nitish, accusing Shah of “creating confusion” about Nitish’s candidacy. While second-rung BJP leaders tried to placate the JD(U) by acknowledging their concerns, Shah never clarified the contradiction in his statement.
On February 24, Nitish shared the dais with the prime minister at Bhagalpur. While Modi used the term “ladla” for Nitish, he conspicuously avoided reiterating his earlier commitment from the 2024 election campaign that “Nitish would continue to lead the NDA in Bihar and become chief minister again.”
BJP’s efforts to install its own chief minister
Not only did Modi refrain from declaring Nitish as the chief ministerial candidate, but Nitish’s mention was also missing from the official post related to the Bhagalpur event on Modi’s X handle. The event, meant for releasing the 19th installment of the Kisan Samman scheme, was – as is customary in the Modi era – transformed into a platform to launch the BJP’s Assembly poll campaign in Bihar.
Since Modi’s rise in 2014, the BJP has made several overt and covert efforts to secure Bihar and install its own chief minister. What is unique about the “Modi era BJP” is not just the desire to have a BJP chief minister, but to ensure that the man occupying the top post remains unwaveringly loyal to Modi and governs Bihar under the diktats of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
It is an open secret that the new Delhi Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, unlike Arvind Kejriwal or his predecessor Sheila Dikshit, will function as an extension of the PMO rather than as an autonomous head of a federal unit, as enshrined in the Constitution. This has been the pattern for chief ministers chosen in the Modi era in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.
A wise and crafty politician, Nitish has never allowed Modi to have his way in Bihar. Though he has earned the sobriquet “Paltu Ram” for his repeated shifts between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Congress-Left alliance and the BJP, he has always ensured that his political supremacy remains intact.
Also Read: Why a Silent Nitish Kumar is a Proverbial Burden on Bihar
Of late, the BJP, sensing a suspected deterioration in Nitish’s mental and physical health, has deployed a set of “regents” from both politics and bureaucracy as part of a larger design to take over Bihar. The Modi-era BJP seemed to be gaining ground against Nitish, particularly with the rise of Sanjay Jha – a former BJP leader – as the JD(U)’s working president.
While Sanjay Jha consistently defended Nitish against criticism of his health, he never refuted the shifting stance of Modi and Amit Shah regarding Nitish’s leadership.
Reliable sources within the JD(U) revealed to this writer that Sanjay Jha believes that, since Nitish never groomed a second line of leadership in his party and remained opposed to his son’s political entry, the BJP would naturally claim his legacy in Bihar. Furthermore, they indicated that this strategy was being pursued clandestinely in coordination with a JD(U) faction aligned with the Modi-Shah camp in the BJP.
Nishant’s entry into JD(U) is well-timed
Nitish has always surprised both friends and foes with his political moves, and his son’s entry into politics has been no exception – especially given his long-standing opposition to involving family members in politics.
However, the principle of keeping family members out of politics has, for all practical purposes, become redundant – and even undemocratic – in the current political landscape. The BJP frequently wields the “dynastic politics” argument against the Congress, RJD, DMK, and other opponents, yet it has the largest number of leaders from political families within its own ranks.
In this context, the JD(U) has safeguarded itself from being politically devoured – particularly by the Modi-era BJP – by paving the way for Nishant’s entry. An alumnus of the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra (Ranchi), Nishant has spent years at the chief minister’s residence with his father but has never courted controversy.
It is too early to predict his success in electoral politics, as voters ultimately decide the fate of leaders. However, his political entry has undoubtedly put the brakes on the BJP’s ambitions in Bihar for now.
While his presence has dealt a clear setback to the Modi-Shah faction, it has provided much-needed reassurance to Nitish’s caste base – the Kurmis—as well as a significant section of the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), whom Nitish has nurtured over the years and who have historically been sidelined by dominant castes within the Sangh Parivar.
RJD welcomes Nishant’s entry in politics
Interestingly, the JD(U)’s arch-rival, the RJD, has welcomed Nishant’s entry in politics.
“We welcome Nishant’s entry. Nitish ji is tired now and has become a hostage of the BJP,” said Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and son of Lalu Prasad Yadav. Adding a touch of humour, he remarked, “He (Nishant) is older than me; he should get married.”
For his part, Nishant has spoken respectfully about Lalu. When asked about him, Nishant stated, “My father and Lalu ji have worked together since the JP movement in the 1970s. Lalu ji is my uncle… sab log saath hain (we are all together).”
While Nishant’s statements do not indicate that the JD(U) is moving back toward the INDIA alliance, they serve as a reminder that the BJP can no longer take the JD(U) for granted.
Nalin Verma is a senior journalist and author. He teaches mass communication and creative writing at Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi.