Tusks, camels and cadres lined up as Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant joins JDU

PATNA: 50-year-old son of outgoing Bihar chief minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar Nishant KumarLong away from public life, he became active in politics and joined a political party on Sunday after his father submitted his nomination for the Federal House of Representatives three days ago.Crowds of party workers gathered at the JD(U) headquarters in Patna to welcome Nishant with garlands and a celebratory procession of elephants, horses and camels.

Nishant promises to strengthen organization

Wearing white pajamas and flip-flops, he was introduced by party national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, who handed him his party membership card at an event attended by senior officials. The BIT Mesra alumnus had kept a distance from politics until his 75-year-old father decided to move to the Union House after serving as chief minister for 10 terms in about 20 years.Addressing workers in his first address as a party member, Nishant Kumar promised to strengthen the organization and justify the trust reposed in him. “I will do my best to live up to the expectations of the workers, the party and the people,” he said.Nishant termed his father’s decision as a personal choice that is respected by his family and said he will continue working under his father’s guidance. He credits his father for the development of Bihar. “His contribution will never be forgotten,” he said to loud applause.Nishant is soft-spoken and introverted, rarely interacting with the media. After joining the party, he prayed at the Mahavir Temple in Patna, visited a tomb near the Patna High Court and distributed sweets to reporters. “Ishwar, Allah and Wahguru, they are all the same,” he said.The opposition reacted strongly. Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, mocked Nitish for his longstanding criticism of dynastic politics. “Cha Cha Ji… Where did your empty rhetoric about dynastic politics disappear? There has always been a big gap between your words and deeds,” she wrote on X, adding that Nitish represented a “political and ideological contradiction”.Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh welcomed Nishant’s entry but said Nitish himself should answer questions about dynastic politics.Nishant’s debut puts him among the many children of Bihar chief ministers who have entered politics. Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi’s family is one of the most politically influential, and several of their nine children are actively involved in politics. Lalu’s youngest son, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, served two terms as deputy prime minister.