Shruti Suman
Nitish Kumar was unanimously re-elected as the President of the ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar during a national executive meeting in Delhi on Friday afternoon. This re-appointment occurred shortly after his aide, Lalan Singh, stepped down, putting an end to weeks of speculation. Singh denied any party rift, stating, “Anger? What anger? Why should I be angry? This is the first time I am hearing this word.”
Sources indicated that Lalan Singh’s removal was linked to his perceived closeness to the JDU’s alliance partner in Bihar, Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). There were rumors that Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Yadav’s son and the Deputy Chief Minister, was being prepared to take over.
Discontent within the JDU also surfaced after BJP leader Giriraj Singh claimed that Lalu Yadav had told him, “… the JDU will merge with RJD soon.” Tejashwi Yadav dismissed this claim, accusing the BJP of spreading rumors to destabilize the JDU-RJD alliance.
Officially, Lalan Singh expressed his desire to focus on his constituency before the upcoming elections, leading to him handing over the post of party President to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, which Kumar accepted.
This leadership change in the JDU comes ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election and amid speculation about Nitish Kumar’s prime ministerial ambitions. Despite being passed over as a potential PM candidate for the opposition bloc earlier, Nitish Kumar has publicly stated that he has no such ambitions and aims to unite parties against the BJP.
The JDU’s internal dynamics have faced scrutiny, with critics highlighting Nitish Kumar’s decision to sever ties with the BJP in August of the previous year after the party’s poor performance in the 2020 election. The swap at the top of the JDU has raised eyebrows, prompting discussions about Nitish Kumar’s leadership style and the party’s political maneuvers.
