Nitish Kumar: Politics, Protégé and the Question of Political Twilight

In Bihar politics, Nitish Kumar had carved out an identity with his deep aversion to family politics but that ends in his twilight

By MANISH ANAND

New Delhi, March 5, 2026 — Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his 1, Anne Marg in Patna residence last evening heard his key followers with distracted attention. On a day when Bhang-laced drinks send Holi revellers hallucinating, hard political news was breaking — Nitish Kumar greenlit son Nishant Kumar’s entry in politics.

The Chief Minister’s health conditions for months have been wildly speculated. His eccentricity per Bihar-based commentators had been becoming more regular. That set the stage for Nitish Kumar to self-destruct his Karpoori Thakur protégé legacy.

Idealism in politics is arguably a smokescreen. Politicians built images to count votes. Politician historians later shred them to their naked truths.

Nitish Kumar’s sole legacy in Indian politics has been his steadfast opposition to family politics. For this, he cited Karpoori Thakur. That he did most often. The Bihar Chief Minister who died poor and left a humble hut for his family. This has been the talking point of Nitish Kumar for his political ideal.

Nitish Kumar rose taller than George Fernades and Sharad Yadav after launching the Samata Party. Political heavyweights would listen to him with respect as he practiced theory with brutal passion — politics separated from family.

This was a trait that Nitish Kumar shared with his best friend in Bihar politics — late Sushil Kumar Modi. Both travelled to New Delhi to attend standing committee meetings of Parliament with modesty. Both kept respective family members away from politics.

Nitish Kumar and late Sushil Kumar Modi offered an anti-thesis template to Bihar electorate against their principal rival Lalu Prasad Yadav. The whole Yadav clan had become rulers of Bihar in the 1990s. Even Lalu’s two brothers-in-law had become powerbrokers. Lalu’s feat was later replicated in Sri Lanka by Gotabaya Rajapaksa until the people banished them lock stock and barrel.

The people saw a template of relief in Nitish Kumar and late Sushil Kumar Modi. Nitish Kumar’s best friend passed in 2024. None from his family entered politics.

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh died in 2020. He was a staunch loyalist of Lalu, But Singh escaped popular ridicule for his personal conduct. As a Union Minister in Manmohan Singh-led government, he oversaw rural development focus from New Delhi. His son showed interest in politics. But his idealism that he practiced with aplomb left his son’s dream unfulfilled.

In Bihar politics, politicians who were borne out of the JP Movement had mostly become dynasts. Late Ram Vilas Paswan passed on his legacy to his son Chirag Paswan. Until his son flopped in Bollywood, Ram Vilas Paswan had brought his whole clan into politics — brothers and nephews.

Now that Nitish Kumar self-destructs his decades-old legacy of politics without family, political observers seem unanimous in their verdicts — the episode proves he’s indeed not well.

(This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are author’s own.)

Nitish Kumar: When Power Touches What It Shouldn’t

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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