Nitish Kumar elected JD(U) president unopposed

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was elected JD (U) president unopposed on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) with no other candidate filing nomination for the party’s top post.

The Bihar CM was already serving as the party’s president since Lalan Singh resigned from the post ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in December 2023. Mr. Kumar (75) was elected to the Rajya Sabha in elections held recently.

Returning officer Aneel Prasad Hegde, a former Rajya Sabha MP, announced Mr. Kumar’s election as the JD (U) chief and handed over the certificate of his election to party’s working president Sanjay Kumar Jha and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh at the party’s central office here.

Several other senior leaders of the party was present on the occasion.

“I declare Nitish Kumar as the party’s national president since no other nomination has been filed,” Hegde announced and handed over Kumar’s election certificate to the party leaders.

Mr. Kumar, however, was not present when his election as the JD (U) president was announced.

Asked about his absence, Mr. Jha said the Bihar Chief Minister is participating in the ongoing Samriddhi Yatra. “We have come here to receive his election certificate from the returning officer on his behalf,” the JD (U) working president told reporters.

Mr. Kumar filed his nomination on Thursday. Jha, who was one of the proposers for Mr. Kumar, had submitted his nomination at the party’s central office here. The Bihar CM did not come to Delhi to file his nomination.

The last date for filing of nomination for the post was March 22, while the date for the scrutiny of documents of the candidates was March 23.

According to the party, the deadline for the withdrawal of nomination for the party expired at 11 a.m. on Tuesday (March 24, 2026).

Mr. Kumar became the party chief after Lalan Singh’s resignation ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. in December 2023. He took over the reins of the party with its council’s ratification as Lalan Singh had stepped down in the middle of his three year term.