Nishad was former Member of parliament from Muzaffarpur Lok Sabha Constituency in Bihar. He was a Union Minister for State in 1996-98 and has been a five-time member of Lok Sabha and a former member of Rajya Sabha. He was with the Janata Dal (United) at present and formerly he was with the Bharatiya Janata Party. His son, Ajay Nishad is currently the lawmaker from Muzaffarpur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled his demise in a Twitter post.
"Saddened by the demise of Captain Jai Narain Prasad Nishad Ji. He served our nation with great diligence. Captain Nishad's efforts for the progress of Bihar were noteworthy. His work towards empowering the poor will always be remembered. Condolences to his family and supporters," he tweeted.