Janata Dal (United) Bihar unit chief Umesh Singh Kushwaha was on Sunday re-elected to the key party post in presence of top leaders, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Kumar, the de facto leader of the party, expressed delight over Kushwaha being "unanimously" (sarv summati se) chosen for a second consecutive term.
A low-key former MLA from Vaishali district, Kushwaha was appointed as state president last year after his predecessor, veteran JD(U) leader Vashishtha Narayan Singh, requested that he be relieved of the organisational responsibility in view of his old age and poor health.
Kushwaha's elevation, in January, 2021, was seen as Kumar's attempt to consolidate his "Luv-Kush" (Kurmi-Koeri) support base in the aftermath of JD(U)'s drubbing in the 2020 assembly polls.
The social engineering was again at play when Kumar forgave his renegade former protégé Upendra Kushwaha, whose RLSP merged with the JD(U).
Upendra Kushwaha was then appointed as the party's parliamentary board chief and rewarded with membership of the state legislative council.
Kumar is Kurmi by caste, and Kushwaha a Koeri.
Back in the reckoning for a "national role" following severing of ties with a domineering BJP, Kumar now needs to ensure that his core support base remains intact and provides ballast to his efforts at forging opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
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