Nitish takes rein of JD (U) in tactical move ahead of LS polls

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, December 29: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is once more appears giving signal that he may spring another big surprise in the politics of Bihar. Just four months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, sources said Kumar has taken over as the president of the JD (U) from the party’s MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh.

On the second day of the meeting of the national council of the JD (U), Kumar is learnt to have become the president of the party. Singh has reportedly proposed the name of the Bihar chief minister for the post of the president of the JD (U). Singh had submitted his resignation from the post in the morning of Friday.

Kumar’s taking over as the president of the JD (U) is being seen by political observers as his signal to the BJP that he could be open to negotiations in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. It may be known that Kumar has in the past taken several decisions which were not anticipated to spring surprises. The political circles in Bihar had been abuzz with speculations that the Rashtriya Janata Dal may engineer defections from the ranks of the BJP to gain own majority in the state Assembly.

Kumar had in similar circumstances quit the Mahagathbandhan to forge an alliance with the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The JD (U) had won the Bihar Assembly elections in Bihar in alliance with the RJD. But later Kumar alleged that the RJD had hatched conspiracies to break his party. If this repeats, Kumar may again be back in the NDA to give the much needed relief to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP is finding the going tough in Bihar politics currently and the saffron outfit may with conditions forge an alliance with the JD (U) once more. If that happens, Kumar may insist on becoming the chief minister of Bihar while the BJP may take the post of the deputy chief minister.

If Kumar quits the Mahagathbandhan, the BJP may go to the town to say that the Opposition alliance of the Indian National Developmental and Inclusive Alliance has collapsed even before the Lok Sabha elections.   

The BJP, the JD (U), and the Lok Jan Shakti Party may onbce again repeat the pre-poll alliance of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections next year in Bihar.

Sources claimed that there is consensus within the JD (U) that the command of the party should be in the hands of Kumar. One of the party leaders said that “Kumar is a universally accepted leader of JD (U), and, hence the command should remain in his hands. Accordingly, Lalan Singh has resigned”.

Singh had become president of the JD (U) on 21 July 2021. He was again given the command of the party president for the second time on 5 December 2022.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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