JDU Gives Bihar MLC Ticket To Nitish Kumar's Son Nishant Kumar

Patna: Former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) on Friday released its first list of candidates for the upcoming 2026 Bihar Legislative Council elections and by-elections. Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar, who recently entered politics, has been given a ticket for the MLC elections from Patna.

JD(U) has also given tickets to three other leaders:

• Bharti Mehta from Madhubani (MLC elections)
• Shivani Devi Prajapati from West Champaran (MLC elections)
• Lalan Prasad from Sheikhpura (MLC by-elections)

Nishant Kumar, who presently serves as the Health Minister of Bihar, made his much-awaited political debut in March while his father resigned from the post of the Chief Minister. An engineering graduate from Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, Nishant had no prior political involvement.

BJP Candidates

Meanwhile, Bhojpuri singer Pawan Singh, Dr Sanjay Mayukh, Anil Kumar Thakur and Sheela Pandit are among the candidates fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Pawan Singh first joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in September 2017. However, he was expelled from the party in May 2024 for contesting the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate. He then officially rejoined the BJP in October 2025.

Expressing his gratitude to BJP for giving him the MLC ticket, Singh wrote on social media platform X, “Heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the Bharatiya Janata Party for expressing their trust in me.”

Elections for 10 seats of the Bihar Legislative Council, including one by-election seat, are set to be held on June 18.