Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was elected Janata Dal (United) president on Friday at the meeting of the party's national executive which lauded his role in bringing together opposition parties and spearheading the demand for caste census.

Party's chief spokesperson K C Tyagi said Kumar has agreed to take over the mantle from Lalan Singh.

Singh stepped down at the closed-door meeting and proposed Kumar's name, saying his leadership will be needed at this crucial juncture in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls while he will be busy fighting his own election. He currently represents Munger constituency in Lok Sabha.

The national council meeting of the party, scheduled to be held later in the day, will ratify decisions, including on his presidency, taken in the executive meeting.

Sources said most key leaders within the party were of the view that Kumar being its most prominent face should take charge of the organisation at this crucial time.

Singh's leadership style was also criticised by several leaders within the party in their recent interactions with Kumar, the sources said.

Amid reports of rift within the party, the chief minister has worked to project a picture of unity by keeping him by his side. Sources within the party have been dismissive of reports that Singh's perceived proximity to the RJD was a reason behind his ouster, noting that he has been a close ally of Kumar for decades

Kumar said in the executive meeting that he was not personally keen to take over as the party's president but will abide by the decision of national executive members who heartily endorsed the development, sources said.

Among several proposals discussed in the meeting was the Kumar's leadership in pushing for caste census and getting a "caste survey" done in Bihar, leading to the state government enhancing the reservation from the existing 60 per cent to 75 per cent.

Amid the JD(U)'s perceived unhappiness with leading members of the INDIA bloc for not giving its most preeminent leader a formal role in the alliance, one of the proposals has cited his role in reaching out to different opposition parties to bring them together after he snapped ties with the BJP in August, 2022