Patna: Nitish Kumar was known to be a vociferous critic of ‘dynasty politics’.
Now, all that is about to change.
Having served as Bihar chief minister for a record 10 terms, not all of which went the full duration, the 75-year-old Nitish has decided to step down to join the Rajya Sabha.
There will be a BJP chief minister in the state for the first time, but just as significantly, Nitish’s son Nishant, an engineering graduate from Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, and a political non-entity, is set to be deputy CM of Bihar.
According to JD(U) MLA Hari Narayan Singh, a close aide of Nitish, claimed on Saturday that a “unanimous” decision has been taken to make the party supremo’s son Nishant deputy chief minister in the new government to be formed following his father’s resignation.
Harnaut MLA Hari Narayan also said that Nishant, a late entrant into politics, will be elected to the state legislative council next month.
“At the legislature party meeting held at the chief minister’s resid
ence, a unanimous decision was taken to make Nishant the deputy CM in the new government,” Hari Narayan told a news channel on Saturday, a day after JD(U) president Nitish informed his colleagues about his decision to move to Delhi as a Rajya Sabha MP.
Nishant is scheduled to formally join JD(U) on Sunday.
“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,” Hari Narayan said.
However, the MLA clarified that it’s not clear whether Nishant will become deputy CM immediately.
“It is not clear whether Nishant will become the deputy CM as soon as a new government is in place or after some time. That is a decision to be taken by the top leadership in due course. I cannot say anything about speculations that JD(U) will insist on having two deputy CMs. Yesterday, a decision was taken only on Nishant,” Hari Narayan informed.
One of the two incumbent deputy CMs, BJP’s Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, is likely to step in as Nitish’s successor. With the CM’s post set to be taken by the BJP, the single-largest party in the ruling NDA, the JD(U) is likely to insist on having two deputy CMs and the Home portfolio.