In a significant political shift, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been named the new president of the Janata Dal (United) after Rajiv Ranjan aka Lalan Singh tendered his resignation from the post during the party’s executive meeting in Delhi.
The announcement comes after weeks of speculation and denials from JDU leaders and allies regarding potential leadership changes.
Lalan Singh, in his presidential address, mentioned wanting to focus more and participate actively in the upcoming elections as the reason for stepping down. He then proposed Nitish Kumar as his successor for the party’s top role, who was elected within minutes.
JDU general secretary Ram Kumar Sharma said, “Lalan Singh first proposed his resignation and it was accepted. Simultaneously, the resolution was passed that Nitish Kumar would be the next president.”
The move was anticipated by many within the political sphere, as rumours had been circulating about a possible change in guard at the JDU. However, up to the moment of truth, party leaders had been tight-lipped about the possibility of a leadership change, with some outright rejecting it.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, too, had rubbished the rumours about the resignation of Lalan Singh from the party chief post.
Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi was quick to take a dig at Nitish Kumar following the leadership change. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he said, “Under Nitish Kumar’s three-year plan, Lalan Singh has also been wiped out. By the way, Lalan babu should have understood that since Nitish Kumar did not consider [George] Fernandes, RCP [Singh], Sharad Yadav and Digvijaya Singh his own, why would he be any different? There is no one that Nitish hasn’t stabbed in the back.”
Nitish Kumar’s rise to the presidency of the JDU marks a strategic positioning ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Coming just days after the Opposition INDIA bloc’s meeting, Kumar’s new role gives him more clout to negotiate alliances and a seat-sharing formula for Bihar. The resolution adopted at the national executive meet authorises him to begin discussions about the same with other members of the alliance.
Meanwhile, several JDU leaders are advocating for Nitish Kumar to lead the INDIA bloc, even as Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal endorsed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as a potential PM candidate.
As for what’s to come next, it is perhaps already being foreshadowed by certain posters at the venue of the JDU national executive meeting, which feature Nitish Kumar with the slogan ‘Pradesh ne pehchana, ab desh bhi pehchanega’ (The state of Bihar recognised him, now the nation will).