Patna: CM Nitish Kumar was on Tuesday re-elected unopposed as the JD(U) president for the fourth time as none else had filed nomination papers for the post.Nitish had earlier become the JD(U)’s national president for the first time in 2016, replacing the party’s stalwart Sharad Yadav, and repeated the feat again in 2019, before relinquishing the post the next year. He again assumed the position in 2023 and has now been installed at the post for the fourth time.
Bihar JD(U) state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha, national spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, among other functionaries welcomed Nitish’s re-election, saying that it would further strengthen the party and also lead to its expansion.Incidentally, Nitish’s son Nishant Kumar has already been inducted into the party and he is also picking up the rudiments of organisational work, besides continuously engaging in public outreach.Earlier, on March 19, the party’s senior functionaries — working president and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Kumar Jha, minister Shrawan Kumar and MLC Sanjay Kumar Gandhi, among others — had submitted Nitish’s nomination papers to the returning officer for the organisational election Anil Kumar Hegde, former Rajya Sabha member, at the JD(U)’s central office in Delhi.While the last date for filing nomination papers by any party aspirant was March 22, the last date for withdrawal of names was March 23, followed by scrutiny of the papers on Tuesday. As no one else had filed nomination papers for the post, Nitish was declared elected unopposed by Hegde.“Nitish has been the most acceptable leader of the party, who has left no stones unturned in ensuring that it takes roots in the state, keeps growing strong, and also expands to other states,” state JD(U) chief Umesh Singh Kushwaha said, adding that the party would take new roots in other states, and “also gain new heights of success both in Bihar and outside it under his continued guidance and leadership.”“The fact that Nitish has been elected as the JD(U) national president unopposed is not just a matter of procedure. It reflects the unflinching faith of the party’s workers, leaders and supporters in him. It also points to his visionary leadership, organisational capacity and dedication to people’s service with utmost commitment,” the party’s national spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said.
