Patna, June 24 (IANS) Lalu Prasad has been elected as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) national president once again, marking his 13th consecutive term at the helm of the party.

His unopposed election was officially confirmed on Tuesday by Election Officer Ramchandra Purve, who issued the notification in this regard.

Speaking to the media, Purve said, “Lalu Prasad is the only candidate who filed nomination for the post of RJD president. The nomination withdrawal deadline ended at 3.00 p.m. today, and since no other nominations were submitted or withdrawn, he has been elected unopposed.”

The formal announcement and presentation of the election certificate will take place during the National Council meeting of the RJD, scheduled for July 5 at Bapu Auditorium in Patna.

The event will also be celebrated as ”Lalu Samman Diwas”. An open session of the party will follow, chaired by the newly elected president.

The nomination process began on June 23, when Lalu Prasad filed his papers at the party headquarters in Patna, accompanied by senior leaders of the party, including Tejashwi Yadav, Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Sunil Singh, Sanjay Yadav and others.

The scrutiny of nomination papers was conducted on June 24 at 2 p.m., followed by a withdrawal window that closed at 3 p.m.

Purve emphasised that the entire electoral process – from the grassroots to the national level – was conducted transparently and democratically, in line with the party’s constitution.

The state units of Rashtriya Janata Dal are functioning in 27 states.

This development reaffirms Lalu Prasad’s enduring hold over the RJD, a party he founded in 1997, and further consolidates the party’s influence ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.

The party leaders are expecting a good performance in the Bihar Assembly election 2025 under Lalu Prasad’s leadership.

Earlier in the day, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha slammed Lalu Prasad, calling him a “convicted criminal” and accusing the RJD of carrying out “dynastic politics”.

–IANS

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