Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Friday elected as national president of the Janata Dal (United) at a meeting of the party's national executive in Delhi. Kumar was appointed to the party's top post shortly after Lalan Singh stepped down from the post. Rajiv Ranjan Singh aka Lalan Singh offered his resignation shortly after the Janata Dal-United national executive meeting began at the Constitution Club in Delhi.
An official announcement on the fast-paced developments within the JDU will be made in the evening around 5 PM. Lalan Singh, in his presidential address, mentioned wanting to focus more and participate actively in the upcoming elections as the reason for stepping down. He then proposed Nitish Kumar as his successor for the party's top role, who was elected within minutes. JDU general secretary Ram Kumar Sharma said, "Lalan Singh first proposed his resignation and it was accepted. Simultaneously, the resolution was passed that Nitish Kumar would be the next president. "The two leaders go back many decades and Mr Singh has been a key ally of Kumar except for a period between 2010 and 2013 when he had quit the JD(U).Speculation has been rife that Mr Singh may be asked to resign due to alleged proximity to JD(U) ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).