(MENAFN- Live Mint) As Nitish Kumar took oath as Bihar's Chief Minister for a record 10th term on Thursday, his son Nishant broke his long public silence to comment on his father's achievement.

Nishant, 50, who largely stays away from the spotlight, said in a rare interview that while he had hoped for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to win, he had not anticipated such a sweeping landslide victory.

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"I hoped that he would win, but people trusted us more than we expected. We won 43 seats last time, but my father kept working, and people supported him wholeheartedly this time. I thank them," Nishant told NDTV in an interview on 20 November on the sidelines of the oath-taking ceremony.

Nitish Kumar took oath as Bihar Chief Minister for a record tenth time on Thursday during a grand ceremony at Patna's iconic Gandhi Maidan.

Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha also took the oath of office and secrecy among 26 ministers in the Nitish Kumar cabinet today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other top leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attended the swearing-in ceremony.

"I congratulate my father for taking the oath for the 10th time and express my gratitude to the people for ensuring our victory. I also thank God," Nishant said in the interview

The Nitish Kumar-led JDU-BJP coalition scripted a landslide by bagging 202 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly. The BJP won 89 seats while the JDU bagged 85

In an NDTV interview, Nishant stated that women had played a key role in the NDA's victory and emphasised that his father had prioritised their empowerment during his two decades in power. He also thanked the workers and leaders of JDU's NDA allies, BJP, LJP (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rastriya Lok Morcha, for their support and hard work behind the big victory.

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Bihar has seen many sons rise to prominence in the political arena. Nishant has been an exception.

Nitish Kumar has been a staunch critic of dynastic politics and has often criticised the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) for promoting 'family'. There has been an 'ever-growing demand from the party workers' about Nishant's entry into politics.

Who is Nishant Kumar?

I hoped that he would win, but people trusted us more than we expected.

Nishant Kumar was born on July 20, 1975. He is the only son of Nishit Kumar and Manju Sinha, who passed away in 2007.

A software engineer and an alumnus of the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) Mesra, Nishant has kept a relatively low profile and has stayed away from political events.

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