PATNA, March 8 -- A day before joining the party, Nishant Kumar, son of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, held two back-to-back meetings on Saturday with senior party leaders and young MLAs. Later that day, he met again with district JD(U) presidents at the residence of Janata Dal (United) national working President Sanjay Kumar Jha. The second meeting was also attended by Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh. Earlier in the day, demands arose from within the party to make Nishant, the deputy CM. Nishant, who will be officially joining the party on Sunday, discussed the party's future strategy and how to best move forward after party chief Nitish Kumar, in a surprise move, decided to move to the Rajya Sabha. Those who attended the meeting said that Nishant would be given a bigger responsibility in the organisation. Meanwhile, posters also cropped up outside the state JD(U) office welcoming Nishant to the party fold. "Nishant Kumar met party youth MLAs and MLCs at the residence of JD(U) national working president Sanjay Jha here on Friday and discussed his future strategies at length. It has been finalised that Nishant will enter active politics after formally joining the JD(U) on Sunday," one of the party sources said. Senior JD(U) leader Sharvan Kumar was the only Bihar minister who was present in the meeting. "Nishant will join the party tomorrow at 1 pm. He'll formally begin party work. The party will decide ahead what role he will have. It is Nitish ji's party and it carries the legacy of his 20 years of work. Even if people feel that he is going to the Rajya Sabha, the Bihar government will continue to function under his guidance till 2025-30," said JD (U) national working president Sanjay Jha. His statement comes in the backdrop of demand made from party supporters and some MLAs to make him the deputy CM in the new cabinet. State JD (U) president Umesh Kushwaha also supportes Jha's statement. "Bihar CM Nitish Kumar moving to Rajya Sabha led to Nishant Kumar being called, his role is yet undecided," said Kushwaha. JD(U) Harnaut MLA Hari Narayan Singh, considered close to Nitish Kumar, claimed that a "unanimous" decision was taken to make the party supremo's son Nishant the deputy CM in the new government to be formed upon his father's resignation, which other legislators denied. "At the legislature party meeting held at the chief minister's residence, a unanimous decision was taken to make Nishant the deputy CM in the new government," Singh told a private news channel here, a day after the JD(U) president briefed his colleagues about his decision to give up the post and move to the Rajya Sabha. To a pointed query, Singh said, "It is not clear whether Nishant will become the deputy CM as soon as a new government is in place or after some time. That is a decision to be taken by the top leadership in due course. I cannot say anything about the speculations that the JD(U) will insist on having two deputy CMs. Yesterday, a decision was taken only on Nishant." JD (U) denies opposition's allegations Addressing the Opposition's allegations of the BJP pressuring the JD(U) in making the decision to move to the Centre, state minister Shravan Kumar said, "Where is the pressure? If there was pressure, he would have said so. He had expressed that he wanted to go to the fourth House. He has been to the Vidhan Sabha, Vidhan Parishad, Lok Sabha and only the Rajya Sabha was left, so he filed the nomination." The Opposition alleged that Kumar was being "driven out of Bihar" by the BJP which was also "denying him an honourable exit". Former chief minister and RJD leader Rabri Devi said, "Nitish Kumar is not giving up his post on his own accord. He is being driven out of Bihar by the BJP. But he should resist and refuse to buckle under pressure." Bihar Minister and BJP leader Dilip Jaiswal also said, "It was the wish of JD(U) leaders, workers, and many people, and respecting the emotional wish of everyone, Nishant Kumar's entry into politics will happen, and we welcome it."...