Decks cleared for Nitish Kumar’s son as Dy CM

As JD(U) patriarch Nitish Kumar is all set to hang up his boots as Chief Minister of Bihar, his party on Saturday claimed that a consensus has been reached for appointing his son Nishant as a Deputy CM.

JD(U) MLA Hari Narayan Singh, a close aide of Nitish Kumar, claimed that a “unanimous” decision has been taken to make the party supremo’s son Nishant the deputy CM in the new Government to be formed upon his father’s resignation and the same has been conveyed to stakeholders of the BJP-led NDA.

Singh, the MLA from Harnaut, in Nalanda district that Kumar himself had represented in the 1980s, also claimed that Nishant, who is entering politics in his late 40s, will be elected to the State legislative council next month. Nishant’s entry comes days after his father, known to be a vociferous critic of “dynasty politics”, chose to hang up his boots, within less than four months of having been sworn in for a fifth consecutive term in office.

Speculations are rife that the chief minister’s post shall now be taken by the BJP, the single-largest party in the ruling NDA, and JD(U) might insist on having two deputy CMs with the crucial Home portfolio, a complete reversal of the arrangement that is currently in place. Of the two deputy CMs, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, both from the BJP, the Home portfolio, in which the control of the State police is vested, is held by the former.

“At the legislature party meeting held at the chief minister’s residence, a unanimous decision was taken to make Nishant the deputy CM in the new Government,” Singh said a day after the JD(U) president briefed his colleagues about his decision to give up the post and move to the Rajya Sabha.

“It was also decided that Nishant shall formally join the JD(U). Since he must become a member of the legislature to hold a constitutional post, he would be elected to the legislative council in April when biennial elections to nine seats are scheduled. He need not necessarily contest from the seat that falls vacant upon his father’s resignation,” a JDU legislator said.

JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha confirmed that Nishant’s formal induction into the party will take place on Sunday, but did not divulge further details.

“Nishant will join the JD(U) tomorrow, though I feel joining is not the right word since he has always been in the party. Better to say he will start working actively from the party,” Jha told the media hours after the party supremo’s son visited his residence to interact with leaders.

The longest-serving CM of Bihar, who has been an MLC all through his tenure, had earlier represented Barh and Nalanda Lok Sabha seats.