New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was elected Janata Dal (United) president at the party's national executive meeting here on Friday, with incumbent Lalan Singh stepping down and proposing his name, party leader K C Tyagi said.
The national council meeting of the party, scheduled to be held later in the day, is likely to ratify decisions taken in the executive meeting.
Sources said most key leaders within the party were of the view that Kumar being its most prominent face should take charge of the organisation at this crucial time in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
The party is part of the opposition INDIA bloc. Singh's leadership style was also criticised by several leaders within the party in their recent interactions with Kumar, the sources said.
Lalan Singh took the decision in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during the two-day meeting held in New Delhi. While addressing the meeting, Lalan Singh said, “As I am busy in the Lok Sabha election in my own constituency, I am giving the resignation from the post of national president of the party. I also propose the name of CM Nitish Kumar as a national president of the party.”
Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, the finance minister of Bihar government and JD-U leader said, “Lalan Singh has given the resignation and it was accepted by the party.” During the meeting, it was also proposed that Nitish Kumar will have all the authority to take decisions on alliance, seat-sharing formula in the alliance, selection of candidates, etc. All the power of JD-U was also given in the hand of Nitish Kumar as well.
Rumours are doing rounds that the change of guard in JDU resulted from the weakening of Nitish Kumar's trust on Lalan Singh. It all began after the fourth meeting of the India block leaders in Delhi on 19 December when Lalan Singh returned to Patna a day after Nitish. That too, Lalan Singh arrived along with Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi.
Before this, there was pressure on Nitish Kumar to handle the politics of the alliance at the national level and hand over the command of the government to Tejashwi. Also, speculation began that Lalan Singh has become close to Lalu Prasad Yadav. JDU executive member Afzal Abbas said that Lalan Singh himself resigned as he wanted to focus on contesting the elections.
Congress Bihar unit had also reacted to the development in the JDU. "It is a good thing that CM Nitish Kumar has been elected as the party national president. The people of Bihar are happy. The India Alliance will fight unitedly and defeat the BJP," said Akhilesh Prasad Singh, President of Bihar Congress. (with agency inputs)
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