Abdul Bari Siddiqui expected to be RJD's new Bihar chief

The suspense over the RJD's next Bihar President seems to be over now with the party's top leadership reportedly choosing veteran leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui for the post.

Patna :The suspense over the RJD's next Bihar President seems to be over now with the party's top leadership reportedly choosing veteran leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui for the post. Siddiqui met party's national President Lalu Prasad Yadav twice in the last few weeks in Delhi and he had finalised his name.

Sources have said that the party will officially announce his name as a state President before November 24 when Lalu Prasad has to go to Singapore for the kidney transplant. According to a party insider, the RJD is losing control over Muslim voters. It was seen during 2020 Assembly election when the Asaddudin Owaisi-led AIMIM note only cut the Muslim votes but also won seats in the Seemanchal area. Such a situation continued in Gopalganj bypoll this month as well when AIMIM candidate Abdul Salam took away 12,000 and turned as "vote katwa (vote-cutter)" for the RJD.

"The RJD, through Abdul Bari Siddiqui, tried to give a message that the party is giving special respect to Muslim leaders. The situation turned ideal for the party as current state President Jagadanand Singh is not ready to retain his post. The RJD wants to keep the Muslim-Yadav equation intact in Bihar but the Muslims are turning out to be weak link for the party after the entry of the AIMIM in the politics of Bihar," the leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

Jagadanand Singh has met with Lalu Prasad thrice in the last few weeks, citing his health as the reason for giving up the state President's post.