'PM of ideas': Nitish named JD(U) chief

New Delhi: Nitish Kumar was on Friday elected as the national president of the Janata Dal (United) with the party making a strong pitch to project the Bihar chief minister as the face of the anti-BJP I.N.D.I.A alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is the convenor and the prime minister of the ideas of the I.N.D.I.A alliance,” JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi said after a day-long meeting of the party’s national executive and council in Delhi.

The political resolution passed by the council, the highest decision-making body of the party, termed Nitish the “architect of Opposition unity”, and called upon the bigger parties to show “a big heart to make the Opposition grand alliance successful”.

“People believe in him (Nitish) and trust that he has better experience in running a coalition and being able to maintain coordination and achieve success even in adverse circumstances,” the resolution further iterated.

Earlier in the day, at the national executive meeting, Nitish took over the reins of the JD(U) to replace two-time MP Lalan Singh who announced his resignation amidst sloganeering by cadres seeking that Nitish be projected as the PM candidate of the anti-BJP grand alliance.

In an apparent bid to underscore Nitish’s credentials as an OBC leader who has risen the ranks from the Mandal churn, the political resolution at the Friday meetings also congratulated the Bihar government for conducting a caste census.

Dispelling speculations on JD(U)’s possible return to the NDA fold, the resolution sharpened its attack on the BJP as it accused the ruling party of having ‘Manusmriti’ in mind under the cloak of Sanatan.

JD(U) leaders claimed that Nitish’s elevation would provide the much-needed heft to the party in negotiating within the I.N.D.I.A alliance.

From next month, starting from Jharkhand, Nitish Kumar will start campaigning outside Bihar, party sources claimed. However, the party claimed that the Bihar CM is yet to take a call on contesting the Lok Sabha polls.

“As far as contesting from Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh is concerned, that decision will be jointly taken by Akhilesh Yadav and Nitish Kumar,” Tyagi said in response to queries about whether the Bihar CM will take the electoral plunge from a Kurmi-dominated seat in UP. 

The party also authorised Nitish to make all necessary decisions about seat distribution, selection of candidates, and other policy matters. The sudden turn of events in the JD(U) is being seen as an attempt by the Bihar CM to strengthen his grip on the party and ringfence his territory ahead of the elections amidst jostling for leadership positions in the Opposition bloc.

At the last meeting of the I.N.D.I.A alliance, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal had proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s name as the PM face.

The decision evoked a sharp reaction from a section of the JD(U), but the Bihar CM downplayed any rift in the Opposition bloc after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reportedly spoke to him. While proposing Nitish’s name, the outgoing president Lalan Singh said he has been a victim of a malicious and bogus campaign about his ‘growing proximity’ to the RJD.