Lok Sabha member of Parliament (MP) from Munger, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, who is better known as Lalan Singh, is set for a second consecutive term as the national president of the Janata Dal-United, the party Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s party belongs to.
The term for the post is three years.
Singh filed his nomination papers for the post on Saturday before the returning officer and Rajya Sabha member Anil Hedge.
“The last date for filing the nomination for the post ends at 3 pm on Sunday after which scrutiny/withdrawal process will start. If required, voting will take place on December 9,” said JD-U national general secretary Afaque Ahmed Khan.
He said the newly constituted JD-U national council would meet in Patna on December 10, followed by an open session the next day.
Recently, state JD-U president Umesh Kushwaha was re-elected to the post.
Nitish Kumar had been the party president for two terms while Sharad Yadav has held the post thrice.
Lalan Singh was nominated as the president after former JD-U leader RCP Singh became a Union minister in 2021.
Lalan Singh had rebelled against CM Nitish Kumar in 2010 but continued to be an unattached member of the party. The two patched up in 2013. Singh was given a ticket to contest the Munger Lok Sabha seat in 2014, but was defeated by Veena Devi of LJP by nearly 1 lakh votes.
He was nominated to the Bihar Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota and was appointed the minister for road construction department in the Jitan Ram Manjhi cabinet in June 2014. He was sacked from the cabinet by Manjhi in February 2015.
When Nitish Kumar again took charge as the chief minister, Singh was again inducted as a minister when the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) came to power in Bihar in 2015.
In 2019, Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha from Munger.
