Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’
Senior JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan, popularly known as Lalan Singh, who was inducted as a minister in the Narendra Modi government on Sunday, has been one of the close aides of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for many years.
This Bhumihar leader has always been the strength of party chief Kumar as this caste is known to have great political influence in Bihar despite its small size.
Lalan was instrumental in strengthening the JD(U)-RJD alliance in 2022. According to political observers, Yadavs and Muslims are the traditional support base of the RJD in certain areas of Munger, Jamalpur and Lahkisarai, Bhumihars and other groups from the upper caste. have supported Singh in recent years.
Claims and counterclaims about an alleged rift between Singh and Nitish Kumar made headlines a few months ago as the political equations changed in the ensuing months.
Singh won the Munger Lok Sabha seat for the third time. He also represented the Begusarai constituency seat once between 2004 and 2009.
His previous victories came in 2009, 2019 and 2024, but when he lost in 2014, Nitish Kumar nominated him as an MP in the Rajya Sabha, and later he was also appointed national president of the party.
Before this, Singh was nominated to the Bihar Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota and became Road Minister in June 2014 in the then Jitan Ram Manjhi cabinet.
His induction and elevation despite the electoral loss led to a revolt in the JD(U) led by Gyanendra Singh Gyanu, who later defected to the BJP with a group of twelve MLAs.
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First print: June 9, 2024 | 8:33 PM IST