Nitish Kumar's close aide Rajiv Ranjan 'Lalan' becomes central minister

Senior JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan popularly known as Lalan Singh, who was inducted as a minister in the Narendra Modi government on Sunday, has been among Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's closest aides for many years. This Bhumihar leader has always been party supremo Kumar's strength, as this caste in Bihar is known to have wide political influence despite its small size. Lalan was instrumental in stitching the JD(U)-RJD alliance in 2022. According to political observers, though Yadavs and Muslims are the traditional support bases of the RJD in certain areas of Munger, Jamalpur and Lahkisarai, Bhumihars and other upper-caste groups have been supporting Singh for the last several years. Claims and counter-claims over an alleged rift between Singh and Nitish Kumar made headlines a few months ago as the political equations changed in the following months. Singh won from Munger Lok Sabha seat for the third time. He had also represented the Begusarai constituency seat once, between 2