Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was elected Janata Dal (United) president at the party's national executive meeting held in Delhi on Friday. Kumar replaced Lalan Singh, who proposed the chief minister's name for the post, party leader K C Tyagi told reporters.
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.
The move comes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. Though speculations were rife that Singh would make way for Nitish Kumar, who worked to bring all opposition parties under one platform, the party's top rung leaders vehemently denied it until Friday.
Sources told PTI that most leaders within the party felt that Kumar, being its most prominent face, should take charge of the organisation at this crucial time. Singh had also faced flak from many quarters for his leadership style.
Earlier, Bihar Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary's name was doing rounds for the post of the national chief, but he had denied all reports of leadership change. However, just before the meeting, Choudhary changed his tone, stating the party could consider a leadership change. "There will national executive meeting of JD(U). If they accept our proposal, then Nitish Kumar will be the party president. Lalan Singh told CM Nitish Kumar that he will be busy with elections, so he wants to hand over the post of party president to him and Nitish Kumar accepted it," Choudhary told ANI.
#WATCH | Delhi: Bihar Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary says "There will national executive meeting of JD(U). If they accept our proposal then Nitish Kumar will be the party president. Lalan Singh told CM Nitish Kumar that he will be busy with elections, so he wants to hand over the… pic.twitter.com/qz4cqh7p8e
— ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2023
The rumours grew strong after some members of JD(U) were seen raising slogans "Desh ka Pradhan Mantri kaisa ho? Nitish Kumar jaisa ho" outside the Constitution Club in Delhi, where the national executive meeting was underway. Posters featuring Bihar CM Nitish Kumar reading 'Pradesh ne pehchana, ab desh bhi pehchanega' (The state of Bihar recognised him, now the nation will) have also been put up.
Many JD(U) leaders had mooted Nitish Kumar's name to lead the Opposition bloc, considering that he was the one who took initiative to form the alliance. Though TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal publicly announced Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as prospective PM candidate, Nitish still is one of the front runners to lead the coalition.
