Lalan Singh, trusted loyalist of Nitish Kumar, likely to be Union minister. Ram Nath Thakur and Giriraj Singh to also take oath in PM Modi-led government. Lalan is the former Janata Dal (United) national president and is a senior leader of his party. He is considered a trusted loyalist of chief minister Nitish Kumar and has served as minister in the state government. He is likely to take oath as the Union minister. Singh, 69, an upper Bhumihar caste, began his political career in 1974. Later, he got associated with the Old Janata Dal Parivar and was among the founding members of the Samata Party led by CM Kumar and former defence minister Geroge Fernandes. In his long political career, Singh, who is a four-time MP having been elected from Munger, has made his mark as a strategist, a troubleshooter, and a hard negotiator for the JD(U), which has remained in power in Bihar as well as Centre in different coalition governments. Singh has served as water resources minister and planning development minister in the state government. Last year in December, Singh had stepped down as national president of JD(U), amid speculations that CM Kumar was not happy with him for getting too close to RJD, which was an ally of the JD(U) in the Grand Alliance government that lasted from August 2022 to January 2024. CM Kumar took over as the JD(U)’s national president in December 2023. Later, JD(U) realigned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Singh fought the 2024 Lok Sabha election as a JD(U) candidate, defeating his nearest rival Anita Devi of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, by a margin of 80,870 votes.
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