Former chief minister and Janata Dal (United) president Nishant, Kumar’s son, is expected to be inducted into the Bihar government when Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary expands his cabinet on Thursday, people aware of the developments said.
“Nishant, who has so far avoided taking any formal political or government role despite growing speculation about his future, recently expressed his desire to play a more active role in governance,” said one of the people cited above.
Nishant Kumar officially joined the Janata Dal (United) on March 8, days after his father filed his Rajya Sabha nomination and signaled the end of his record-breaking tenure as Bihar’s chief minister. Till then, Nishant remained away from public life by choosing not to formally join the JD(U) or take up social or political duties.
One party leader said discussions were underway to create an informal “core team” around him within the cabinet structure, with the possibility of one or two young lawmakers being promoted as ministers to support the next generation of party leadership transition, should he become involved in party activities.
Among the younger faces discussed were legislators Rahul Ranjan, Naveen Kumar Mandal, Chetan Anand, Komal Singh, Rituraj Kumar, Aterik Kumar, Aditya Kumar and Abhishek Anand.
However, the names will become clear only after the swearing-in ceremony takes place on Thursday.
Some JD(U) leaders believe that Nishant may, for now, still be limited to gaining administrative experience as a minister before shifting his focus to political matters.
Another JD(U) leader said there was broad agreement between the BJP, JD(U) and smaller allies on the allocation of ministerial seats. However, the final list is still awaiting approval from the BJP central leadership.
The JD(U) leader said Shravan Kumar, Ashok Chaudhary and Jama Khan are likely to retain ministerial posts, in line with the party’s tendency to emphasize continuity and administrative experience. Leesi Singh, Sheela Mandal, Sunil Kumar, Madan Sahni and Ratnesh Sada are also expected to be appointed to the Cabinet again.
A senior BJP leader in Bihar said that Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha is likely to retain Santosh Suman in the government, while Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha could get one ministerial berth for his party.
Patna-based political analyst Sanjay Upadhyay said Nishant Kumar’s entry into the government would be the clearest sign of the JD(U)’s preparations for a post-Nich political era.
“This will strengthen the NDA’s Kurmi-Koiri (Lov-Kush) vote base, as Samrat is now the undisputed leader of the Kurmi (Kushwaha) and Nishant is the new crown of Kurmi. Upendra Kushwaha does not seem to have much bargaining power, so at most he will lobby for his wife, Snehlata Kushwaha, rather than his son Deepak Prakash, who is still not a member of either chamber. He said Kushwaha is also trying Getting a seat in the Union government for himself, but with his limited influence in the state, it does not seem practical.
