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Janata Dal (United)
Bihar finds itself on the cusp of a new political epoch on Tuesday when Nitish Kumar, the state's longest-serving chief minister, is slated to make way for the first-ever BJP-led government in the province. Kumar, who heads the JD(U) and became a Rajya Sabha MP last week, is expected to tender his resignation shortly after the last meeting of his cabinet, which is scheduled at 11 am. "It is a constitutional requirement. The chief minister informs his colleagues about his decision to dissolve the cabinet before meeting the governor," said Dilip Jaiswal, a senior BJP leader who is also a minister in the outgoing government. The BJP, which is the single largest party in the 243-strong assembly, with 89 MLAs, will thereafter elect its legislature party leader. The meeting of the legislature party is scheduled to be held at the BJP office here around 3 pm. Union minister Shivraj Singh Choudhan, whom the BJP parliamentary board has named central observer for the legislature party leader'
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha earlier this month, is set to resign from the state legislative council on Monday, JD(U) sources said. The JD(U) president was elected to the upper House of Parliament on March 16, and according to party insiders, the 14-day period during which he has to quit as MLC ends Monday. "It is stipulated in the Constitution that you should resign within 14 days. Things will happen accordingly," Sanjay Kumar Jha, the national working president of the JD(U), had told reporters here last week. JD(U) leader and MLA Anant Kumar Singh, who met Nitish Kumar on Sunday, told media persons that the chief minister will tender his resignation as MLC on Monday. Jha, however, had parried queries on when the 75-year-old JD(U) supremo was expected to step down as chief minister.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Tuesday elected JD (U) president unopposed with no other candidate filing nomination for the party's top post. This is the fourth time Kumar, 75, has become the party chief. Already helming the party since Lalan Singh resigned from the post ahead of Lok Sabha polls in December 2023, Kumar was recently elected to Rajya Sabha. Returning officer Aneel Prasad Hegde, a former Rajya Sabha member, announced the name of Kumar, who was not present as he was participating in the ongoing Samriddhi Yatra in Bihar. "I declare Nitish Kumar as the party's national president since no other nomination has been filed," Hegde announced and handed over the certificate of his election to JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh at the party's central office here. Asked about Kumar's absence, Jha said he is participating in the ongoing Samriddhi Yatra. "We have come here to receive the election certificate
JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday took a dig at the Congress government in Karnataka for hoarding a massive human chain in the name of democracy, while questioning the delay over holding the polls to local bodies, which are "fundamental pillars of democracy". He urged the government to announce elections for local bodies. Karnataka government on Sunday marked the 'International Day of Democracy' by forming a 'historic' 2,500-km-long human chain across the state, as a symbol of equality, unity, fraternity, and participative governance. "In the guise of promoting human welfare you (government) formed a human chain. The Congress government in Karnataka shows no concern for democracy. If they did, they would first conduct elections for local bodies. Since coming to power, they have not conducted elections for the fundamental pillars of democracy -- the zilla and taluk panchayat and the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike). Why?," Kumaraswamy questioned in a
Janata Dal (United) spokesperson K C Tyagi, whose stand on different issues often highlighted his party's differences with ally BJP, has resigned, the regional party said on Sunday. The JD(U) said in a statement that its president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has appointed Rajiv Ranjan Prasad as its national spokesperson. It attributed Tyagi's resignation to "personal reasons". However, it is believed that frequent comments of Tyagi, who is based in Delhi and enjoys an unlikely high profile in the national media for a regional party leader due to his experience and articulation, on central government's policies were seen as unhelpful to the BJP-JD(U) ties. Be it on the Uniform Civil Code, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill or even the government's position on the Palestine issue among other issues, the socialist leader's outspoken stand did not go down well many within the party and embarrassed the BJP, sources said. With two senior JD(U) leaders, including Union minister Lalan Si