PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad on Saturday formed a new team, keeping caste and community equations in mind ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections scheduled for October-November this year.
Lalu appointed four vice-presidents, including his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi, and former state party president Jagadanand Singh. The team also includes 12 general secretaries and 10 secretaries, with clear attention paid to the traditional support bases of the party.
Of the 27-member team, seven are from the Yadav community, including Lalu and Rabri. Significant representation has also been given to castes and communities that have supported Lalu and the RJD since the Janata Dal era.
However, there are only three leaders from the general castes—two from the Rajput caste and one from the Bhumihar caste. Notably, no Brahmin leader has been included. Among Dalits, the Ravidas or Chamar communities have been given greater prominence.
“The new team announced by our party president, Laluji, focuses on social and regional balance. The base states are, of course, Bihar and Jharkhand, and a majority of the leaders hail from these two states,” said RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan.
Besides Rabri Devi and Jagadanand Singh, former Lok Sabha MP Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser and former Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary have been named national vice-presidents.
Former state minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui has been appointed principal national general secretary, while MLC Sunil Kumar Singh will serve as the party treasurer.
Last month, the party held meetings of its state and national executive committees. Lalu Prasad was re-elected as national president, and Mangani Lal Mandal was appointed as the new state president, replacing Jagadanand Singh, who had held the position since 2019.