Putting all speculations at rest, Bihar Opposition party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in its national executive meeting in Patna on Thursday made it clear that party leader Lalu Prasad would continue to be party president. Party leaders said, “RJD will elect its new party president at its national council meeting in October this year”.
Earlier, speculations in a section of media were that Mr. Prasad could step down as party president due to his ill-health. The buzz in political circle was that his wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi might take over party’s mantle from him, but both Mr. Prasad and Ms. Devi strongly been refuted any such development in the party.
Despite his ill-health, Mr. Prasad had reached Patna on Wednesday to attend party’s national council meeting on Thursday. Along with Mr. Prasad, his two sons Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav and elder daughter Misa Bharti, party representatives from different States and 76 members of the national executive attended the meeting held in Patna.
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However, on Thursday after the national executive meeting senior Party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui said that “no change is going to happen in party’s organizational structure now. In the party’s national council meeting in October this year there will be election for party’s president”. It was also announced at the meeting that RJD would start its membership drive from February 26 to 20 June’ 2022 and election for State executive will be held on September 22.