Fresh clamour in JD(U) for entry of Nitish Kumar’s son into politics

Patna: Bihar on Sunday witnessed fresh clamour in the JD(U), headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, for bringing his reclusive son Nishant into active politics, with some posters put up at several places in Patna.

Some of these posters were deceptively designed, proclaiming that 'Nishant Samvad' will be held in the city in the evening, where a discussion would be held on "welfare schemes introduced by the honourable chief minister".

A senior party leader, however, clarified, "An impression may have gained ground that our leader's son will himself be at Nishant Samvad. That was never the case. The programme went off as per schedule, with party workers discussing the prospects of his entry into politics."

The posters, coming up with just a couple of months left for assembly polls, minced no words in stressing the sentiment prevailing in a section of the party that the 40-something move beyond occasional pleas to the public in favour of his father and contest the upcoming elections himself.

The slogan 'kaaryakartaon ki maang, chunaav ladein Nishant' was boldly inscribed on the posters, put up by the party which has, so far, banked solely on the charisma of his 75 years old father.

Speculations about Nishant’s entry into politics have been doing the rounds for some time. In March, similar posters were dotting the city after Nishant made a number of public statements seeking another term in office for his father, and also got himself photographed with many top JD(U) leaders, giving up his characteristic shyness.

An engineering graduate like his father, Nishant, who is a bachelor and lives with the chief minister, however, went into hibernation later on. Last month, he was back in the news as he visited a famous temple in the city to offer prayers on the occasion of his birthday.

He also reiterated that he was hopeful of the victory of the NDA, under the leadership of his father, in the polls, rattling off figures, which he seems to have on his fingertips, to assert that the state has made rapid progress.

In a state rife with second-generation politicians, the possible entry of Nishant has been hailed by RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, a few years his junior, nonetheless, his father’s main rival.

The JD(U)’s alliance partners, like Union minister Chirag Paswan, a former bete noire of Nitish Kumar, has also said that he was fine with the scion’s entry into politics, provided he took the “personal” decision.

Old guard in the JD(U) has been tight-lipped over the possibility, with many of them suggesting that the party supremo, who takes pride in having never given in to the lure of “dynasty politics”, may not agree to Nishant’s entry till he was himself active in public life.

Tejashwi Yadav, who is the INDIA bloc’s de facto chief ministerial candidate, has latched on to the opportunity to fish in troubled waters, alleging, on more than one occasion, that “pro-BJP” elements in JD(U) were thwarting ambitions of the father-son duo.

According to Yadav, the BJP secretly views the JD(U) as a stumbling block in the way of its further expansion in the only Hindi heartland state where it is yet to have its own chief minister.