Patna: Amid the high-stakes Bihar Assembly elections, where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s political prowess often steals the spotlight, a poignant tale from his private life reveals the human side of this seasoned leader: the unfulfilled last wish of his late wife that left him in tears.
Nitish Kumar, whose political journey has dominated Bihar’s landscape for decades, has always kept his family away from the public eye. His love story with Manju Kumari Sinha, a schoolteacher from a Kayastha family, defied caste barriers. Belonging to an OBC community himself, Nitish tied the knot in an inter-caste marriage, and the couple welcomed a son, Nishant, now an engineer from BIT Mesra who steers clear of politics.
Tragedy struck in 2007 when Manju succumbed to illness in Delhi. Her final desire? To spend her last moments with her husband. But Nitish, then Bihar’s CM, couldn’t rush to her side due to official duties.
Overwhelmed by guilt, he broke down inconsolably during her funeral rites, from lifting the bier to the cremation pyre. Even today, Nitish often expresses remorse, saying he failed to honour her wish — a regret that lingers amid his electoral battles.
As Bihar gears up for polls, this emotional anecdote underscores how personal sacrifices shadow even the mightiest politicians. Nitish’s story reminds voters that behind the strategist lies a man haunted by ‘what ifs’.