Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar, was sworn in for a historic tenth term at a grand event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief ministers of several NDA-ruled states, and senior alliance leaders. One of the key catches of the new cabinet was the inclusion of Deepak Prakash—son of veteran Bihar leader Upendra Kushwaha—as an RLM quota minister, despite not having contested the Assembly elections.
Amid the allegations of dynasty politics by the Opposition leaders, former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha clarified that his son’s induction was based on the party’s internal decision and discussions within the alliance, and not linked to electoral participation.
In a lengthy post on X, Kushwaha said, “My position is that if you have categorised our decision as an act of nepotism, then please try to understand my compulsion. This step was not just necessary but unavoidable to safeguard the party’s existence and future. I cannot publicly analyse all the reasons, but you are all aware that in the past, we even had to take the unpopular, almost self-destructive decision of merging the party.”
Who is Deepak Prakash? Is he stitching a sinking ship?
Deepak Prakash Kushwaha is a 36-year-old computer science engineer who strikingly entered Bihar politics. Deepak’s entry into the cabinet came unexpectedly as the sole ministerial representative from his father’s party, the RLM, in Nitish Kumar’s tenth cabinet.
This appointment followed Upendra’s quick efforts to secure the position for him after the 2024 elections.
Upendra has defended Deepak’s credentials, noting that he is not someone who “stumbled in life” but earned his engineering degree through dedication and hard work.
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Deepak’s political rise builds on his family’s growing influence.
His grandmother, Sneh Lata Kushwaha, recently won the Sasaram Assembly constituency by a decisive margin of over 25,000 votes in the 2025 Bihar elections, polling 1,05,006 votes against RJD candidate Satendra Sah’s 79,563.
This victory, combined with Upendra’s Rajya Sabha nomination (backed by the NDA after his 2024 loss in the Karakat Lok Sabha seat), positions the Kushwaha family prominently: Upendra in the upper house of Parliament, Sneh Lata as an MLA, and Deepak as a state minister—forming a trio of key roles.
How does RLM stand in 2025?
The RLM, led by Upendra Kushwaha, remains a junior ally in the NDA-led Bihar government under Nitish Kumar
In the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, the party contested six constituencies and secured victories in four, demonstrating solid performance within its limited scope.
However, its share of power in the expanded tenth cabinet is modest, only one ministerial berth, awarded to Deepak Prakash.
Why did Nitish Kumar not contest assembly election?
Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar, does not participate in Assembly elections. He last served as an MLA in 1985 and contested only once afterwards, in 1995 from Harnaut, but chose not to keep the seat, continuing instead as a Lok Sabha MP.
Since then, he has consistently entered the state legislature through the Legislative Council rather than through direct Assembly contests.
Bihar is among six Indian states that have a Legislative Council, which enables ministers to hold office without winning Assembly elections.
Nitish’s first tenure as an MLC ended in 2012, after which he was re-elected, prompting renewed debate over his preference to avoid direct electoral battles for the Assembly.
Justifying his decision, Nitish said in January 2012 at the Legislative Council’s centenary event, “I became an MLC out of choice, not compulsion, because the Upper House is a dignified institution.”
He added, “I will once again be elected to the Legislative Council upon completion of the present six-year term.”
Opposition flags “nepotism, dynastic politics”
The decision has taken Bihar’s political circles by surprise and invited criticism, including from the opposition, for promoting dynastic politics. Alongside Prakash, Santosh Kumar Suman—the son of HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi—was also inducted into the cabinet.
In a post on X, RJD jibed at the ruling NDA leaders who swore in as ministers today in the newly formed Bihar government for accusing the Mahagathbandhan of “dynastic politics”, implying that the ruling parties were the ones doing so. RJD pointed out that several newly sworn-in ministers have family ties to politicians.
The RJD has specifically named 10 ministers, including Samrat Choudhary, Nitin Nabin, and Shreyasi Singh, highlighting their connections to established political families.
“Rama Nishad, daughter-in-law of former Union Minister Captain Jai Narayan Nishad and wife of former MP Ajay Nishad. Vijay Chaudhary, son of former MLA Jagdish Prasad Chaudhary. Nitin Naveen, son of former MLA Naveen Kishor Sinha. Sunil Kumar, son of former Minister Chandrika Ram and brother of former MLA Anil Kumar. Leshi Singh, wife of former Samata Party District President late Madhusudan Singh alias Butan Singh,” RJD informed.
Notably, nearly 80% of HAM(S) newly elected MLAs are relatives of senior leaders, with Jitan Ram Manjhi’s daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, and son-in-law winning seats. 12.35% of winning BJP MLAs have family links, including Samrat Choudhary and Nitish Mishra. JD(U)’s 11 winners come from political families.
(With inputs from agencies)
