Nishant’s affidavit puts focus on unfinished degree, rising income ahead of Bihar MLC polls

For Nishant, one of nine National Democratic Alliance candidates in the MLC polls, the election is crucial to retaining his Cabinet berth.

He’s only Nishant, not Nishant Kumar, hasn’t finished his engineering degree, and has seen his income jump over 1600% between 2020-21 and 2024-25 — that’s what Bihar Health Minister Nishant’s affidavit shows as he prepares to contest the legislative council election.

The affidavit, submitted ahead of the June 18 MLC election for 10 seats, shows that contrary to the name used in Janata Dal (United) posters and banners, former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s 44-year-old son goes by a single name — Nishant. It also shows that he completed only five of the eight semesters of his Bachelor of Engineering course, meaning he did not finish the degree.

This glimpse into his affidavit comes at a time when the rival Rashtriya Janata Dal has been raising questions about Nishant’s educational qualifications. For Nishant, one of nine National Democratic Alliance candidates in the MLC polls, the election is crucial to retaining his Cabinet berth: the Constitution mandates that a minister must become a member of either House within six months of taking oath.

For Nishant, however, the election is largely a formality. The NDA holds 202 of 243 seats in the Bihar Assembly, and each MLC candidate requires the votes of 25 MLAs.

The health minister’s affidavit shows that he passed his intermediate (10+2) examination from Patna Science College in 1998, enrolled in the Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Science) programme at Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, Ranchi, and completed five of eight semesters until 2001. Sources close to him said he could not complete the course due to health reasons.

Nishant lists his current address as 7, Circular Road, the official residence of his father, Nitish Kumar. He is registered as a voter in Patna’s Digha Assembly segment.

The affidavit also shows that Nishant’s income rose from Rs 7,16,780 in 2020-21 to Rs 1,28,28,400 in 2024-25, while his movable and immovable assets stand at Rs 4.63 crore. His immovable assets include 7.1 acres of agricultural land in his paternal village, Kalyanbigha in Nalanda; four residential buildings in Kalyanbigha, Bakhtiyarpur, Kankarbagh and Shastri Nagar in Patna; and a gifted 2,160 sq ft flat in Shastri Nagar valued at Rs 9.14 lakh in 2024.

Nishant, who took oath as a minister during the expansion of the Samrat Choudhary government last month, was allocated the high-profile health portfolio. While deputy chief minister posts went to party veterans Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Vijay Kumar Choudhary, the JD(U) has increasingly projected Nishant as its future leader, underscored by his state-wide yatra from West Champaran in the first week of May.

Nishant’s swift induction into the Cabinet and subsequent MLC nomination mark a significant shift in Bihar’s political landscape. For years, Nitish Kumar publicly opposed dynastic politics and kept his family away from party affairs. But with the veteran leader looking to secure his legacy and formalise the party’s future leadership structure, Nishant’s elevation signals a calculated transition within the JD(U), bringing the next generation to the forefront of state governance.