Nishant Kumar, the son of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, formally joined the Janata Dal (United) at the party headquarters in Patna on Sunday, marking his official entry into state politics.

The induction ceremony was attended by senior party leaders including party working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary. However, Nitish Kumar, who is also the party chief, was not present at the event.

Addressing party workers, Nishant Kumar said he would try to continue the developmental work undertaken by his father for the people of Bihar and would work under his guidance.

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He added that he accepted and respected his father’s decision to move to the Rajya Sabha and intended to “continue working under his guidance”.

On Thursday, Nitish Kumar said that he will contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and is expected to step down as the chief minister if he wins the March 16 polls.

“I thank everyone,” Nishant Kumar said on Sunday. “I will try to live up to the trust you all have placed in me. I, the entire Bihar and the entire country are proud of what my father has done in the last 20 years.”

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A large gathering of party supporters welcomed Nishant Kumar with slogans such as “Nishant hain to nischint hain (when Nishant Kumar is around, we’re all assured), Jai Nitish, Jai Nishant (hail Nitish Kumar, hail Nishant Kumar)”, The Hindu reported.

The 50-year-old, an engineer who studied at Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra in Ranchi, had largely stayed away from public life until his induction into the party.

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