Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar took over the reins of the Janata Dal (United) on Friday, months ahead of the general elections, and the party announced that he will lead seat-sharing talks with the 28-party INDIA bloc and campaign across the country beginning January.

Read here: Nitish Kumar, now JD(U) president, reveals 2024 Lok Sabha polls action plan

Kumar was named the party chief at meeting of top leaders after member of Parliament Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan Singh, quit the post, ending days of speculation about the latter’s growing proximity to ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Kumar’s name was later endorsed by the party’s national council.

“I have accepted the responsibility and we will work together,” said Kumar in a brief media interaction.

Senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said the party cleared four proposals — the demand for a national caste census, authorising Kumar to negotiate with allies in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), starting his countrywide campaign with Jharkhand from January, and to give Kumar full powers for organisational revamp.

“Nitish Kumar is the convener and prime minister of ideas of the INDIA alliance,” Tyagi said, adding that the CM remained undecided on whether he will contest the Lok Sabha polls. It was a curious choice of words at a time when there have been reports that Nitish was upset after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s name was proposed as the group’s PM face in their meeting earlier this month. Nitish later denied that he was unhappy.

The change of guard comes just months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled next summer and at a time when the 28-party INDIA bloc is looking to speed up seat-sharing talks. Kumar’s JD(U), which won 16 seats in the 2019 elections in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, will face a tough battle amid speculation of a rift in the party that has aligned with its foe-turned-friend-turned-foe-turned-friend RJD.

Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats. In the 2019 elections, the BJP-JD(U) alliance swept the state, winning 39 of them. But the JD(U) broke away from the National Democratic Alliance in August 2022, joining hands with the RJD and Congress alliance.

Kumar will have to manage negotiations in the INDIA bloc while simultaneously ensuring that his party, which slumped to its worst showing in 15 years in the 2020 assembly elections, retains its Lok Sabha tally. Experts said Kumar’s elevation as party chief was aimed at consolidating his position in the party, end factionalism and send a signal to dissidents that he remained in charge.

“The BJP is not an enemy. In politics, no one is an enemy,” Tyagi said.

He said that Kumar would undertake a Jan Jagran Yatra from Jharkhand in January and the political resolution lauded his role in bringing together opposition parties and spearheading the demand for a caste survey.

Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh and Sitamarhi MP Sunil Kumar Pintu were conspicuous by their absence. Fourteen MPs were present.

Lalan Singh announced the move to quit the party post in his presidential speech at the start of the national executive meeting. This is Kumar’s third stint as party chief. He took over as the party chief from Sharad Yadav in 2016 before relinquishing the post in 2020, when former Union minister RCP Singh, who quit the party last year, became the party president.

JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha said the national executive requested Kumar to take over the leadership in the larger interest of the party and nation. He added the request was unanimous.

Bihar minister Vijay Kumar Chowdhary said Singh cited his candidature in the 2024 national polls and asked to be relieved from the post. “There was no bitterness between the two,” said Chowdhary.

Singh stepped down after speculation that Kumar was unhappy with him for not “coordinating effectively” with the INDIA bloc for a bigger role for the CM at the national level. There were also reports that Singh was growing close to deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav.

“Our agenda in the meetings has been to strengthen the party and the INDIA alliance. With the 2024 elections coming up, we have to move with a lot of force and Nitish Kumar in the meeting has decided that we will go to every state to strengthen this alliance,” said Bihar cabinet minister Jama Khan.

“If he (Kumar) has become the president of his party, then it is the decision of their party. He has been the president of JD(U) earlier as well. He is a senior leader of his party, so it is a good thing if he has become the President of JD(U),” said deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.

Read here: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is new JD(U) chief after Lalan Singh steps down

“Nitish Kumar is a private limited party… There are no discussions going on (regarding Kumar joining NDA). This is the internal matter of the JD(U) and BJP has nothing to do with it,” said BJP Bihar president Samrat Chowdhary.

“This is definitely going to put to rest the speculations doing the round about the merger of JD (U) with the RJD. Secondly, Nitish Kumar is known as a hard seat bargainer and now the JD (U)’s seat sharing bargaining power will increase,” said DM Diwakar, former director of AN Sinha institute for Social Studies.