Bihar: Sanay Jha is JD (U)'s new working president, CM Nitish Kumar is party chief

The Janata Dal (United) national executive meeting has appointed Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha as the party’s working president, with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar continuing in his role as the national president.

Jha's appointment as the Janata Dal (United)'s working president is seen as significant, given his strong rapport with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership and his role as the party's leader in the Rajya Sabha.

According to party sources, Jha is expected to facilitate favorable negotiations with the BJP and foster a cordial relationship between the two parties, despite past challenges in their alliance, as reported by PTI.

During the meeting, the BJP's key ally, now a significant player in the Lok Sabha, demanded stringent actions against those accountable for exam paper leaks and advocated for robust legislation to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Additionally, the party's national executive approved a resolution urging the central government to grant Bihar special category status or provide a special financial package.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) President Nitish Kumar, along with Union Ministers Lalan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur, joined other senior leaders from across the country at the meeting in Delhi.

Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA and was sworn in as Bihar CM with BJP's backing, reversing his move from the alliance to join the Rashtriya Janata Dal-led 'Mahagathbandhan' in August 2022.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, JD(U) contested alongside BJP in alliance. The NDA, led by BJP, secured a strong victory with 29 out of 40 seats. JD(U) and BJP each won 12 seats, while LJP (Ram Vilas) claimed all five seats it contested. RJD won four seats and Congress secured three seats.