Dynasty dilemma plagues Nitish as partymen want son Nishant to take the lead

For decades, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had distinguished himself from his sometimes-friend-sometimes-arch-rival Lalu Prasad Yadav by resisting the lure of promoting a dynastic line within his Janata Dal-United or JD(U).

In fact, unlike Lalu, who practically turned his Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) into a family fief by initiating his wife, Rabri Devi, and in subsequent years his children Misa Bharti, Tej Pratap (now estranged), Tejashwi and Rohini Acharya into active politics, Nitish and even the other two members of the troika that originally led his party – Sharad Yadav and George Fernandes, both deceased now – kept their immediate family out of politics during their days in the JD(U).

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Nitish's 'Nishant' dilemma

As he stares at arguably his most challenging electoral test in over two decades, with his indifferent health becoming a subject of public gossip and the JD(U)’s electoral base being eyed not just by its rivals but even its allies, Nitish, known for effortless political somersaults, has a choice to make.

Those JD(U) leaders who want Nitish to assign greater political – and electoral – responsibilities to Nishant say the move would “blunt Chirag’s campaign” and “help keep the party intact”.

Just how much should he involve his son, Nishant Kumar, in the rough and tumble of the politics of poll-bound Bihar to secure his party’s interests?

Sources in the JD(U) told The Federal that the question has conflicted Nitish for some time now. A growing section of the party has been imploring him to scale up Nishant’s political responsibilities from a mere campaigner to that of a candidate in the upcoming Assembly polls.

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A senior party leader said the Bihar chief minister is “reluctant” to pave the way for Nishant’s electoral debut in these elections as he is worried that such a move would dent his image as a leader who, unlike Lalu or even the late Ram Vilas Paswan, “prioritises Bihar over his own family”.

Demands to bring son to forefront

Nishant made a quiet entry onto Bihar’s political landscape over two years ago when he became an infrequent campaigner for the party, mostly filling in for his father during the JD(U)’s public outreach programmes and always careful in asserting that he had no electoral ambitions of his own.

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Unlike the state’s prominent political dynasts – Tej Pratap, Tejashwi, Misa, Rohini and Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag Paswan, among others – Nishant projected an image of self-deprecating humility.

Rarely was he seen surrounded by gun-toting security personnel or party sycophants trying to outdo one another in projecting him as Bihar’s future leader. Instead, Nishant almost always made it clear that his father was the leader and that he was merely “here to help papa”.

Even a few weeks ago, amid speculation over why the top leadership of the BJP, the JD(U)’s senior partner in Bihar’s ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), was dithering in declaring Nitish the alliance’s chief ministerial face for the upcoming polls, Nishant claimed “Amit uncle” (Union Home Minister Amit Shah) had “made it clear that papa will lead the NDA campaign”.

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The section of JD(U) leaders batting for Nishant’s electoral debut, however, maintains that it is time Nitish brings his son to the vanguard of the party’s campaign, complete with a ticket to contest the upcoming polls. These leaders cite not one but a combination of factors to justify their demand.

For starters, Nitish’s visibly failing health and his awkward behaviour in public have made the JD(U) leaders wary of how extensively their most prominent vote-catcher would be able to campaign for the party in the crucial polls.

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Nitish, both asset and liability

Even BJP insiders told The Federal that they see Nitish as “both an asset and a liability” who, despite being the alliance’s most bankable electoral face in the state, is doubted over his administrative capacity should he return as the chief minister for a record tenth time this year, thanks to his unpredictable conduct.

The JD(U) section also believes that Nitish has surrounded himself with a “coterie that is more loyal to the BJP than to the JD(U)” and that his inability to fully grasp the intrigues at play within his court has “begun to damage the party”.

A party leader, once close to the chief minister, but now consigned to the sidelines told The Federal that the BJP’s refusal to unequivocally declare Nitish as the NDA’s chief ministerial face for the upcoming polls, coupled with the growing clamour by smaller allies such as Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) or LJP(RV) and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) or HAM(S) for a larger share of seats are tell-tale signs of a “ploy” to undermine the JD(U) ahead of the polls but the chief minister seems oblivious to these developments.

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Chirag Paswan threat

Of particular concern to old Nitish loyalists, who have now been forced to play second fiddle within the party to leaders such as Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha and state minister Ashok Chaudhary, is Union minister Chirag Paswan’s barely veiled attempts at showcasing himself as a viable alternative to the incumbent chief minister.

Five years ago, the LJP(RV) leader’s decision to sever ties with the NDA in Bihar and field over 135 candidates for the Assembly polls had adversely affected the JD(U) 's seat tally. Although the then Lok Janshakti Party had managed to win just one seat in the 2020 Assembly polls, its candidates had ensured that JD(U) candidates lost in nearly 40 seats.

This time round, Chirag has already made known his ambition of switching to state politics and contesting the polls. Among LJP-RV leaders who have been assiduously projecting him as a potential chief ministerial face for the ruling alliance is his party MP Shambhavi Chaudhary, daughter of minister Chaudhary, who is also a close aide of Nitish.

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Can Nishant fend off Chirag?

Those JD(U) leaders who want Nitish to assign greater political – and electoral – responsibilities to Nishant say the move would “blunt Chirag’s campaign” and “help keep the party intact”.

A leader from that camp told The Federal that many in the JD(U) believe that Chirag’s “self-promotion” ahead of the elections is being puppeteered by the BJP’s central leadership, which believes that a sub-par electoral performance by the JD(U) would, in due course, “hollow out” Nitish’s party, with a bulk of his colleagues hoping to find greener pastures within the saffron fold.

As such, these leaders believe the only way Nitish and his party’s interests can be protected is by having Nishant play a more active role, both electorally and in terms of organisation, in the JD(U).

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An alternate proposal from these leaders is that if Nitish remains adamant against Nishant’s electoral debut, he should, at least, have his son emerge as the party’s most voracious star campaigner and then rope him in as a member of the state legislative council “at the first available opportunity after the elections”.

The upcoming polls will also be a clash of young and ambitious leaders such as Tejaswhi, Chirag, and even Prashant Kishor. According to JD(U) sources, they cannot have their party be seen as an atrophying entity “that doesn’t have any young leader to carry on the good work of Nitish”.