Lalan Singh quits amid exit speculation…
On Friday, 29 December 2023, Nitish Kumar was re-elected as President of Bihar's Janata Dal (United) at a meeting of the party's national executive in the National Capital.
The Bihar CM was re-appointed after Lalan Singh stepped down, ending weeks of frenzied speculation.
Immediately after the meeting, Mr. Singh shot down talk of a rift in the party, and said, "Anger? What anger? Why should I be angry? This is the first time I am hearing this word."
Sources said Lalan Singh was removed because he was seen as being a little too close to the JDU's alliance partner in Bihar - Lalu Yadav's RJD - amid talk that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is Lalu Yadav's son and the Deputy CM, is being prepped to take over.
There was also some consternation in the JDU after BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh's claim that Lalu Yadav had told him "... the JDU will merge with RJD soon".
That buzz was dismissed by Tejashwi Yadav himself, who accused the opposition BJP of "planting stories" to destabilise the JDU-RJD alliance in the state.
Edited By: Arusha Farooq
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