Nitish Kumar takes reins of JDU ahead of LS polls
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday became the national president of the JD(U) before the crucial Lok Sabha polls. The decision was taken at the national executive meeting of the JDU in Delhi.
During the meeting, JDU president Lalan Singh, citing his engagements over upcoming Lok Sabha elections, offered to step down as party president and proposed the name of Nitish Kumar.
Singh is currently an MP from Munger. KC Tyagi, JDU chief spokesperson briefed the media after the meeting and said that on the request of the party leaders, Nitish Kumar has accepted to lead the party going forward.
In his speech, Lalan Singh said that the party needs Kumar's leadership at this time and Singh will be busy with his own parliamentary elections. Speculation was rife for a week about Singh's resignation.
However, the party leaders and Singh himself had previously denied this.
Sources tell ET that a section of the party leaders were unhappy over the functioning style of Lalan Singh ever since he became party president in July 2021. Some of the party leaders also raised red flags with Nitish Kumar of Lalan Singh's proximity with the RJD after the two parties came together to form the government in Bihar in August 2022. However, JD(U) leaders refute the differences of opinion among the two leaders.
