JDU Gears Up For Leadership Change: Organisational Polls Set To Decide Nitish Kumar’s Successor
The JDU Bihar chief, Umesh Kushawaha, said that those who perform well will get better opportunities in the organisation.
Published : January 10, 2026 at 9:53 AM IST
By Avinash Kumar
Patna: After its resounding victory in the recently held Bihar Assembly polls, Janata Dal United is poised for organisational elections later this month, including a successor to Nitish Kumar.
In a conversation with ETV Bharat, JDU state president Umesh Kushawaha said that a membership drive is underway as part of the process. “The membership drive conducted from 2022 to 2025 had a target of 75 lakh members, but now a target of one crore has been set for the period from 2025 to 2028,” he said, adding that the elections will be announced after January 15.
Kushwaha further said that elections will be held from the panchayat to the national level. Responding to a question on whether the party will get a new face, he said that the party has a democratic process, and elections are held accordingly. "Our leader works for 14 crore people, and now the organisational elections are also to be held. Everything will be decided democratically, based on the preferences of the members and workers," he added.
The JDU state chief said that those who perform well will get better opportunities in the organisation. Addressing the potential cabinet expansion after Kharmas (an inauspicious period in the Hindu calendar) and speculation about becoming a minister, Umesh Kushwaha, an MLA from Manhar, stated that he serves the party loyally, and the decision rests solely with the Chief Minister.
After Kharmas, Bihar will see a cabinet expansion and elections for five Rajya Sabha seats, along with the selection of 19 Legislative Council members. There is speculation that Ramnath Thakur may be given a significant organisational role, and Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant, could also receive an important party responsibility. Pressure is mounting on Nitish Kumar for Nishant's political entry, as party leaders, workers, and even family members support it.
The potential candidates for state president include Ramnath Thakur, Manish Verma, and Chandeshwar Prasad Chandravanshi. As Nitish Kumar nears the end of his political career, the principle of "one person, one position" will likely guide leadership changes, with any new appointees expected to be his trusted confidants.
According to political expert Prof. Pramod Kumar, JDU has always appointed leaders from the backward classes as national president. “First, George Fernandes, then Sharad Yadav, held the post for long periods. Nitish Kumar later gave this responsibility to RCP Singh. Although Lallan Singh, who comes from the upper caste community, also held the post, his tenure was very short,” he said.
As far as the state president is concerned, the political expert further said, the responsibility has mostly been given to leaders from the upper caste community. “Only the first and current state presidents are from the backward classes. Vashishtha Narayan Singh served as the state president for the longest time, but he resigned due to health reasons. Now, the election for the state president is about to take place. There is talk that Umesh Kushwaha may assume a ministerial position in the government. In such a situation, a new face could be seen in this position,” he added.
"The JDU constitution previously provided for the appointment of the same person as a national president only twice, and the party even amended the constitution to appoint Sharad Yadav the third time. After becoming the national president. Nitish Kumar still holds two positions. In such a situation, a new face could also be seen in the state president position," the political expert added.
Another political expert, Arun Pandey, has a different opinion. According to him, even if a new face is appointed to the state president position, the national president will remain unchanged. He says that Nitish Kumar will retain the leadership of the party. However, some major changes may be made to balance the core vote bank and other equations.
"JDU may experience a major shake-up at the state president level, with a new face, but the likelihood of any change in the national president is low. Nitish Kumar would like to retain complete control of the party. Everyone knows that JDU's base is in Bihar. This time, JDU's performance in the assembly elections was also excellent. Nitish Kumar will make every effort to ensure that the core vote bank remains fully engaged with the party. He will make any major changes to the organisation based on that," he said.
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