PATNA: Nitish Kumar is set to retain the post of president of the Janata Dal (United) after filing his nomination papers on Thursday for the 2025–28 term.
As he is the sole candidate to have filed nominations for the top party post, Kumar is expected to be declared elected unopposed after the withdrawal deadline. While March 22 is the last date for withdrawal of nominations, the formal announcement is likely on March 24.
The election to the party president’s post was announced on March 16, the day Nitish Kumar was declared elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Before Nitish Kumar assumed the position in December 2023, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) was serving as the party’s national president.
On Kumar’s behalf, JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, Bihar Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar, party MLC Sanjay Gandhi, and other leaders submitted the nomination papers to the party’s returning officer and former MP Aneel Prasad Hegde at the party’s central office in New Delhi.
Nitish Kumar first assumed charge as JD(U) national president in April 2016, succeeding senior leader Sharad Yadav. He was re-elected in 2019 but stepped down in 2020, making way for RCP Singh.
Jha said that party members were keen on Nitish Kumar taking charge once again and added that he would visit the party office in Delhi more frequently.
The post of national working president may also fall vacant, as Jha is likely to be elevated as Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The term of the incumbent, Harivansh Narayan Singh, ends on April 9, and he has not been renominated to the Upper House.