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Janata Dal (United) leader Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh has been appointed as the Minister of Panchayati Raj and the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying.
NEW DELHI: Janata Dal (United) leader Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh has been appointed as the Minister of Panchayati Raj and the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying.
In BJP’s previous term, Giriraj Singh was responsible for overseeing the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.
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The 69-year-old four-time MP has previously served as JD(U) president and a minister in the Bihar government, but this will be his first stint as a minister in the Union cabinet.
Lalan Singh is known as a close aide of Nitish Kumar. However, recent reports suggest that he has lost favor due to alleged connections with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. Nevertheless, it’s widely speculated that his influence played a role in Nitish Kumar’s decision to align with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar.
Singh served as the president of Bihar JD(U) when he rebelled against Nitish in 2010. He patched up with his mentor in 2013. Subsequently, he was appointed as the national president of the party until Nitish Kumar assumed the position in December 2023.
Singh, who belongs to an influential upper caste bhumihar family, has won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Munger, Bihar. This was Lallan’s third win, having previously won from Begusarai in 2004. He has also served as a Rajya Sabha member, in addition to being an MLC and a minister in the Nitish Cabinet.
A day after Narendra Modi took oath for a third consecutive term as the Prime Minister of India in a grand ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the newly formed NDA government held its first Union Cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence.
Among the 72 ministers in the Council of Ministers, leaders from NDA allies secured 11 positions. Six of these allies were granted cabinet seats, while the remaining five were appointed as ministers of state including Lalan Singh who gets Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Fisheries.
