JD(U) shakes up national team: KC Tyagi out, Mangani Lal Mandal gets Prashant Kishor’s post

Tyagi, the party’s national spokesperson, says he asked Nitish Kumar to relieve him of party duties; veteran socialist Mangani Lal brought in with an eye on EBC Dhanuk votes.

The party’s national spokesperson K C Tyagi (L) has been replaced by former MLA Rajib Ranjan, while Mangani Lal Mandal has been appointed as national vice president, a position that had been created to accommodate poll strategist Prashant Kishor (R). (File Photos)

The Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday reconstituted its national team and appointed former MP and veteran socialist Mangani Lal Mandal its national vice president, a position that had been created to accommodate poll strategist Prashant Kishor. The party’s national spokesperson K C Tyagi has been replaced by former MLA Rajib Ranjan, who returned to the party from the BJP in January.

Mandal was a close aide of socialist icon and former Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur. The party had appointed Kishor the national vice president when he joined the party in 2018. The post did not exist before that. The poll strategist quit the JD(U) in 2020. A JD(U) leader said, “With Mandal’s elevation, Nitish Kumar is trying to further reach out to big EBC (Extremely Backward Classes) Dhanuk votes.”

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The 32-member national office-bearers’ list includes 22 national general secretaries. Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader Rajib Ranjan, who is from the Kurmi community in Nalanda, has also been appointed general secretary and national spokesperson. Several Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs are made general secretaries. Former MPs M A A Fatmi and Kahkashan Perween have also been included as general secretaries.

K C Tyagi, the JD(U)’s principal general secretary, said he was not included as he wanted to be relieved of party responsibilities. The veteran leader told The Indian Express, “I met Nitish Kumar and wanted to be relieved of the party’s responsibilities. I have had the honour of being the spokesperson for leaders such as Chaudhary Charan Singh, Raj Narain, Chandra Shekhar, V P Singh, George Fernandes, Sharad Yadav, and Nitish Kumar. Nitish Kumar respected my wish. But I will continue to contribute as a party worker. Our next big job is to attempt national Opposition unity.”

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More

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