Patna, (Samajweekly) Senior Janata Dal-United MP Rajiv Singh ‘Lalan’ Singh is expected to be made the new national President of the party, a source said.
The JD-U National Executive Committee will meet at the party’s Jantar Mantar office in New Delhi on Saturday and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who reached the capital on Thursday to attend it, is expected to take the decision during the meeting.
Lalan Singh has been a close aide of Nitish Kumar for several years and played an important role in building the party. Credited for bringing LJP’s sole Bihar MLA Raj Kumar Singh into the JD-U apart from Independent Sumit Kumar Singh, he is also said to be reportedly responsible for the split in the LJP, which has given a jolt to Chirag Paswan.
During the recent cabinet expansion of the Narendra Modi government, the party had authorised current National President R.C.P. Singh to take decisions on its behalf. Singh, however, just ensured his own inclusion and sources said that this was against the wish of Nitish Kumar who wanted two cabinet berths, for him, and Lalan Singh.
Nitish Kumar now wants to give a consolation prize to Lalan Singh by making him the national President.
Nitish Kumar was the national President before the 2020 Assembly election but stepped down from the post after being sworn-in as Chief Minister and handed over the baton to R.C.P. Singh. Now, as Singh has become a Union Minister, he will hand over the post likely to Lalan Singh as per the party’s one person one post policy.
