Nishant Kumar, the 51-year-old son of former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, was among the 32 ministers of Bihar who took oath today.
“I will work under the guidance of my father and under the leadership of the Honorable Chief Minister, Samrat Choudhary. I will try to live up to the trust that the senior leaders of JD(U) have placed in me. I will try to work with full honesty. And in the future, too, I will continue the path of development that my father has shown to the state,” he told NDTV in an exclusive interview after the oath ceremony.
Read: Nishant Kumar May Join Bihar Cabinet Tomorrow. How It Happened
Nishant Kumar’s entry to the Bihar cabinet comes weeks after his father – the longest serving Chief Minister of Bihar — joined Rajya Sabha and there was change of guard at the top. At the time, there was speculation that his son would step into his shoes.
Later, that expectation was dialled down to a Deputy Chief Minister’s post as BJP’s Samrat Choudhury got the top job. But even the deputy’s job was not something Nishant Kumar agreed to.
Under the JD(U) quota, Vijay Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav were appointed Deputy Chief Ministers. But party sources indicated that whenever Nishant Kumar was ready to join the government, Bijendra Prasad Yadav will step down and make way for him.
Bihar has forever been waiting for Nitish Kumar’s son to enter politics.
In 2025, there was speculation that he would debut in the election. But it was put to rest after he was not given any ticket.
Nishant Kumar had earlier made it clear that he was not interested in a political career.
Read: Nishant Kumar: Nitish Kumar’s Son With ‘No Interest In Politics’
In 2017, he had spelled it out, telling reporters: “I have neither interest in politics nor any knowledge about this field. My first love is spiritualism, and as of now, I am proceeding on the path of spiritualism”.
JD(U) leaders are now hoping that his induction in the cabinet will ensure continued synergy between the government and the party.