As Nishant Kumar moves through Bihar’s West Champaran district, stopping at villages to greet crowds, workers from his political party have positioned earthmovers to shower him with marigolds. MLAs greet him along the way; he is hugged and feted. Nishant appears overwhelmed, and it shows in his reticence. Despite being born into a political family and being familiar with the drama and sycophancy that come with the job, he is not a natural politician.

He rises in the lift built into his Traveller to greet people, often stepping down to meet them. “Janata se mila ye aapar pyar aur samarthan meri sabse badi taakat hai (This immense love and support I get from the people is my greatest strength),” he says. “I hope this same affection, trust and blessing will continue in the future, so that this journey of harmony and development may move forward continuously.”

He often echoes his father Nitish Kumar’s words. Nitish, with over 40 years of political experience, is now a Rajya Sabha MP and has just made way for a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate to become Chief Minister of Bihar. He is the national president of the Janata Dal (United), a party formed in 2003.

On the morning of May 3, at Nitish’s 7, Circular Road residence, Nishant, 44, bends to touch his father’s feet. They hug. Nitish has just vacated the Chief Minister’s bungalow, and this public display of affection signifies a passing of the baton. More than that, it is a sign that Nishant is counting on his father’s work to win the people’s trust.

Journey of Goodwill

Nishant began his Sadbhav Yatra (journey of goodwill) from Bagaha in West Bihar; JD(U) president Umesh Singh Kushwaha and party leader and Rural Development Minister Shrawon Kumar accompany him, guiding him through the motions, because Nishant does not possess the natural demeanour of a seasoned politician. There is none of the chest-thumping, in-control command over the crowd, nor the hubris of someone born into the job. At least not yet. Champaran district, following the path of his father, who launched most of his yatras from the Champaran region. His first stop on the two-day journey is the Hanuman Mandir in Patna.

Party workers and supporters welcome him warmly as he passes through five districts before reaching Valmiki Nagar in West Champaran, where he stays overnight. There, he is welcomed by members of the Tharu community, a Scheduled Tribe living in the Tharuhat region along the Indo-Nepal border.

Bihar JD(U) president Umesh Singh Kushwaha and party leader and Rural Development Minister Shrawon Kumar accompany him, guiding him through the motions, because Nishant does not possess the natural demeanour of a seasoned politician. There is none of the chest-thumping, in-control command over the crowd, nor the hubris of someone born into the job. At least not yet.

He repeats the line about following in his father’s footsteps at every interaction, finishing his speech in less than a minute. Before reaching Valmiki Nagar, he stops at 15 places where party workers greet him.

“It seems he is in training. Why is he scared and tense? His body language shows he is facing the crowd for the first time,” says Manoj Patel, a Bettiah resident. “He is not able to handle the crowd effectively. Nitishji should have launched his son in politics five years ago so that he could have received proper training.”

In the background, Nishant says over a loudspeaker: “With immense public support and the blessings of the people, this campaign is not only strengthening harmony within society, but also infusing new energy into the development and unity of Bihar.”

At Bettiah, Nishant stops to garland a statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi launched his first satyagraha 109 years ago from Champaran. About 100 people surround Nishant. Unable to reach the statue, he throws the garland at its feet.

Another Bettiah resident says: “Last year, during the Voter Adhikar Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi came to the same chowk. There were more than 10,000 people here. This crowd is nothing. It seems local leaders have not given their best to pull crowds for Nishant.”

Entry for political survival

Nishant joined the JD(U) on March 8, 2026, and began meeting party workers and leaders. Earlier, he had often said he had no interest in politics and had chosen the path of spirituality, dedicating his life to ISKCON and the Hare Rama-Hare Krishna movement. Though he wears the traditional white kurta-pyjama of a politician, he was seldom seen at his father’s political rallies.

Sources close to him say Nishant is a calm person who enjoys listening to spiritual songs and reading religious texts. He stayed away from the limelight, keeping to his family and never becoming embroiled in social controversies.

He graduated in computer engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, Ranchi. During his father’s nine terms as Chief Minister, he was rarely spotted at government events.

His father served as Chief Minister for over two decades, taking an oath for a record 10th term on November 20, 2025. Through several political flip-flops undertaken to remain Chief Minister, Nitish navigated Bihar’s complex socio-political terrain while focusing on improving law and order and promoting governance initiatives.

During his tenure, Nitish undertook several yatras after coming to power in 2005. His last, the Samriddhi Yatra (journey of prosperity), marked his exit from Bihar politics ahead of his Rajya Sabha election

Facing the crowd for the first time

At his first public meeting, organised at the Bapu Sabhagar auditorium in Bettiah, party workers and leaders hear him speak from a public platform for the first time. Most leaders project him as the next Chief Minister of Bihar, asserting that he is the future of the JD(U).

JD(U) MLC Bhishm Sahani says, “Nitish Kumar is Nishant and Nishant is Nitish Kumar. The land of Champaran will bless him so that he becomes the Chief Minister. Every party worker and leader will stand with him like a rock.”

Bhagat Patel, a party worker at the venue, says: “Nitishji has not left us; he is in our hearts. When he became Chief Minister, Bihar was handed over to him in bad shape, but with his hard work and dedication, he changed Bihar. All party workers want to see Nishantji as the Chief Minister of Bihar in the coming days.”

Another party worker, Dharmendra Kumar, says the party will benefit from Nishant’s entry into politics. He adds that party workers are excited and happy to see him as Nitish’s successor.

Satrughan Prasad Kushwaha, a party worker from Bagaha, says: “Nishant is the future of the party and, under his leadership, the party will flourish not only in Champaran but also across Bihar. He will strengthen the party at the grassroots level.” No one is sure how.

Mausir Alam, another party worker, points out that Nitish maintained a secular image and says his son would do the same despite the party’s alliance with the BJP.

Aarti Devi, Bagaha district president of the JD(U) Women’s Cell, says Nitish did much for the upliftment of women and calls him the architect of modern Bihar. “Nitishji gave women 50% reservation in Panchayati Raj Institutions and municipal bodies. He also gave us 35% reservation in the police force and in government jobs. The Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana was the best scheme he started, under which ₹10,000 was promised to women,” she says, adding that school uniforms and bicycles distributed to girls also contributed to their emancipation. “We have similar expectations from Nishantji.”

Big leaders missing from the yatra

Large numbers of women have gathered to see Nishant. Many hold placards and banners saying, “Hamara neta kaisa ho? Nishant Kumar jaisa ho (How should our leader be? Like Nishant Kumar)”. Most of the women are seeing him for the first time; many are hearing his name for the first time.

“I was informed that Nitishji was coming here, so I came to see him, but someone else has come. People are saying he is Nitish’s elder son,” says a woman holding a placard of Nishant.

Nishant is Nitish’s only child.

Many local leaders ask why senior party leaders were missing. JD(U) national working president Sanjay Jha, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, and Deputy Chief Ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav were absent on both May 3 and May 4.

Kushwaha calls the yatra historic, asserting that Nishant would shape Bihar politics for the next three or four decades. He says that throughout the journey, every community, particularly the youth, turned out enthusiastically.

“The day Nitishji decided to go to the Rajya Sabha, party workers felt only darkness. But Nishantji came forward to remove that darkness with the hope of a new beginning,” he says.

Maiden political speech

After a series of speeches, by the time Nishant rises to speak, almost half of the 2,500-capacity auditorium has emptied out. At the beginning of the event, the hall had been packed. A party member asks the crowd standing outside to come in. Only then do students wearing Sadbhav Yatra T-shirts enter the auditorium, shouting slogans in support of Nishant.

On stage, before he speaks, Nishant rubs his palms together constantly, shakes his legs and does not smile. “My father, Nitish Kumar, resigned from the post of Chief Minister and has now become a Rajya Sabha member. We all have to accept his decision. I know very well that everyone is disappointed with my father’s decision, but he is still here and continues to guide us,” Nishant says, asking people to repose in him the same trust they had in Nitish.

In his 20-minute speech, he focuses on the work his father did as Chief Minister of Bihar in areas such as roads, electricity, drinking water, agriculture, jobs and women’s upliftment. He congratulates the new National Democratic Alliance government and Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.

Challenges ahead for Nishant

Bihar-based political commentator Sanjay Kumar says Nishant has a long way to go in politics and that, at present, he lacks spark. Over time, he says, Nishant may learn the art of politics.

“In his political life, Nitish never supported dynastic politics, but for the survival of his party, he finally chose to set aside his ideology. Nishant has entered politics very late, but his biggest challenge is to keep the party united and its vote bank consolidated,” he says.

Nitish’s vote bank has traditionally comprised Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs). According to Bihar’s 2023 caste-based survey, OBCs account for 27.12% of the State’s population, while EBCs comprise 36.01%. Together, they make up more than 63% of Bihar’s population.

On May 8, Nishant was inducted into the Bihar Cabinet as Health Minister. Several JD(U) leaders feel he could have chosen the post of Deputy Chief Minister, but instead opted to begin by earning the trust of the people and the party.