Amid speculation that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's only son, Nishant Kumar, is likely to join politics, a ruling JD-U MP has urged him to contest the Bihar assembly elections later this year.
Shailendar Kumar, JD-U MP from Nalanda, on Tuesday urged Nishant Kumar to contest from Islampur assembly seat in Nalanda district in the Bihar assembly elections.
"People in Nalanda, mainly in Islampur, want Nishant Kumar to contest the assembly polls. Nishant is and educated and gentle young man. He will get full support and the vote of people and will win the polls," Shailendar Kumar, who s considered close to Nitish Kumar told Rediff.
The ruling NDA and opposition mahagathbandhan has geared up for seat sharing and has reached out to people.
Although Nishant is yet to formally join politics, he has demanded that the NDA declare his father as the alliance's chief ministerial candidate for the Bihar assembly elections.
In recent months, colourful posters and banners have appeared near the JD- office in Patna in support of Nishant to join the party.
Several senior JD-U leaders told this correspondent that many in the party want Nishant to lead the JD-U and emerge as Nitish Kumar's political heir.
The JD-U has asserted however that there will be no compromise on Nitish Kumar's name as the NDA's chief ministerial candidate for the Bihar assembly elections.
This assertion was made after top BJP leaders have been reluctant to declare Nitish Kumar as NDA's CM face for the Bihar assembly elections.
Nitish Kumar has been a opponent of 'parivaarvad' (dynasty) in politics and Nishant has stayed away from politics despite his father being in power in Bihar since 2005.
Nitish Kumar takes pride in proclaiming that no one from his family is in politics unlike other leaders, notably Lalu Yadav's family where the father, mother, two sons and two daughters are in politics.
If Nishant indeed joins politics, he will follow in the lead of Tejashwi Yadav, Chirag Paswan, and Santosh Suman (Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's son).
Tejashwi and Chirag represent the established political families of Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan in Bihar.
Chirag's brother-in-law Arun Bharti, who won the Jamui Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 election, and his estranged uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras and cousin, Prince Raj are also in politics.
Manjhi's son Santosh Suman is a minister in Bihar, his wife is an MLA.
-- MI Khan in Patna for Rediff
