Latest news with #Kurmis
Mint
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Former foes RCP Singh & Prashant Kishor unite: A real challenge to Nitish Kumar or just optics ahead of Bihar Elections?
Bihar Elections 2025: Former Union minister Ramchandra Prasad Singh, popularly known as RCP Singh, on Sunday joined hands with his long-time detractor Prashant Kishor. Singh merged his Aap Sabki Awaaz Party (ASAP) with the Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) – months ahead of Bihar Assembly elections 2025. The merger means political foes turning friends. RCP Singh and Kishor were known to be fierce rivals during their stints in the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United). On Sunday, however, the two leaders showered praises on each other. 'I was fascinated by how the JSP has been speaking about issues that concern the common man. We are committed to work towards making Bihar beautiful and prosperous,' Singh said as he donned the JSP's yellow scarf while being into the party by Kishor in Patna. How will the merger impact the political landscape in poll bound Bihar? Singh, former national president of JD(U), is a known OBC Kurmi face from Nalanda – considered Nitish Kumar's fortress. Singh, expert said, may help the JSP consolidate a section of the Kurmi community – known as a core voter base of Nitish – in its favour. Kishor's party may get a boost among Kurmis, but not much, they said. More than a mass leader Singh is known for his organisational skills as a strategist. 'From the optics perspective, both RCP and Kishor, former Nitish aides, would come as a stronger force in targetting the JD-U chief ahead of elections. They would try to send out a message on how two former aides of Nitish Kumar have gone against him,' said Amitabh Tiwari, political strategist and founder of VoteVibe, a newly-founded firm at the forefront of political reasearch and sentiment analysis. The Kurmi, along with sister-caste Koeri, which makes up approximately 7-8 8 per cent of Bihar's electorate, is a significant voting bloc, particularly in districts like Nalanda, Arwal, and Jehanabad of the state's Magadh region. Apart form Nitish Kumar and his JD-U, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) depends on Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) to garner the support of the Kurmi-Koeri (Luv-Kush) vote base. The 243-member Bihar assembly is voting by October-November to elect a new government. Reacting to this new Alliance, former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav has dropped strong hints that the BJP could be 'orchestrating the merger behind the scenes. "Both of them were in JD(U), one a national vice president, the other a national president. Who is getting all this done and how it is happening, people of Bihar know everything," Tejashwi said while interacting with the journalists in Patna. "If two rebels of JD(U) have come together, then everyone understands whose game this is. We don't need to say much. People are watching everything," he said. RCP Singh is a 1984-batch IAS officer who first came in touch with Nitish in 2001 when the JD (U) chief was Union Minister of Railways Minister. When Nitish became Bihar CM in 2005, RCP Singh was transferred to Bihar next year as a civil servant. Later, Singh went on to be known one of the most powerful bureaucrat in Bihar and a key Nitish aide. In 2010, Singh took voluntary retirement from the civil services and formally joined the JD(U) where he went on to be known as an organisational man who functioned from behind the scene. In 2018, Kishor, the political strategist-turned-politician, joined the JD(U) as its national vice-president. It is said that Kishor's joining didn't go well with RCP Singh as he felt insecure. RCP Singh however continued to call the shots in the JD(U) A 'cold war' ensued between Kishor and RCP Singh. Kishor quit the JD(U) in January 2020 and eventually launched his political party Jan Suraaj Party in October 2024 RCP Singh, however, rose to become the JD(U) national president. In July 2021, RCP Singh recommended himself for the lone Union Cabinet berth from the party's quota in the second Narendra Modi government. This perhaps upset Lalan Singh, the defacto number 2 in JD(U) RCP Singh resigned from Union Cabinet in 2022 and later from the JD(U) after he was overlooked for renomination to the Rajya Sabha. HE joined the BJP in May 2023. Nitish returned to the NDA in January 2024. Singh floated his Aap Sabki Awaaz Party last November. After joining forces the two new friends in Bihar are expected to escalate their attack on Nitish Kumar. Kishor had planned to launch a signature campaign in Nalanda, protesting the state government's alleged failure to deliver on its promise of ₹ 2 lakh to 94 lakh poor families. However, he was barred from entering the village.
Mint
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Former foes RCP Singh & Prashant Kishor unite: A real challenge to Nitish Kumar or just optics ahead of Bihar Election?
Bihar Elections 2025: Former Union minister Ramchandra Prasad Singh, popularly known as RCP Singh, on Sunday joined hands with his long-time detractor Prashant Kishor. Singh merged his Aap Sabki Awaaz Party (ASAP) with the Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) – months ahead of Bihar Assembly elections 2025. The merger means political foes turning friends. RCP Singh and Kishor were known to be fierce rivals during their stints in the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (Uinted). On Sunday, however, the two leaders showered praises on each other. 'I was fascinated by how the JSP has been speaking about issues that concern the common man. We are committed to work towards making Bihar beautiful and prosperous,' Singh said as he donned the JSP's yellow scarf while being into the party by Kishor in Patna. How will the merger impact the political landscape in poll bound Bihar? Singh, former national president of JD(U), is a known OBC Kurmi face from Nalanda – considered Nitish Kumar's fortress. Singh, expert said, may help the JSP consolidate a section of the Kurmi community – known as a core voter base of Nitish – in its favour. Kishor's party may get a boost among Kurmis, but not much, they said. More than a mass leader Singh is known for his organisational skills as a strategist. 'From the optics perspective, both RCP and Kishor, former Nitish aides, would come as a stronger force in targetting the JD-U chief ahead of elections. They would try to send out a message on how two former aides of Nitish Kumar have gone against him,' said Amitabh Tiwari, political strategist and founder of VoteVibe, a newly-founded firm at the forefront of political reasearch and sentiment analysis. The Kurmi, along with sister-caste Koeri, which makes up approximately 7-8 8 per cent of Bihar's electorate, is a significant voting bloc, particularly in districts like Nalanda, Arwal, and Jehanabad of the state's Magadh region. Apart form Nitish Kumar and his JD-U, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) depends on Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) to garner the support of the Kurmi-Koeri (Luv-Kush) vote base. The 243-member Bihar assembly is voting by October-November to elect a new government. Reacting to this new alliance, former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav has dropped strong hints that the BJP could be 'orchestrating the merger behind the scenes. "Both of them were in JD(U), one a national vice president, the other a national president. Who is getting all this done and how it is happening, people of Bihar know everything," Tejashwi said while interacting with the journalists in Patna. "If two rebels of JD(U) have come together, then everyone understands whose game this is. We don't need to say much. People are watching everything," he said. RCP Singh is a 1984-batch IAS officer with 28 years of administrative experience. He first came in touch with Nitish in 2001 when the JD (U) chief was Union Minister of Railways Minister between 2001 and 2004. When Nitish became Bihar CM in 2005, RCP Singh was transferred to Bihar next year as a civil servant. Later, Singh went on to be known one of the most powerful bureaucrat in Bihar and a key Nitish aide. In 2010, Singh took voluntary retirement from the civil services and formally joined the JD(U) where he went on to be known as an organisational man who functioned from behind the scene. In 2018, Kishor, the political strategist-turned-politician joined the JD(U) as its national vice-president. It is said that Kishor's joining didn't go well with RCP Singh as he felt insecure. RCP Singh however continued to call the shots in the JD(U) A 'cold war' ensued between Kishor and RSP Singh. Kishor quit the JD(U) in January 2020 and eventually launched his political party Jan Suraaj Party in October 2024 RCP Singh, however, rose to become the JD(U) national president. In July 2021, RCP Singh recommended himself for the lone Union Cabinet berth from the party's quota in the second Narendra Modi government. This perhaps upset Lalan Singh, the defacto number 2 in JD(U) RCP Singh resigned from Union Cabinet in 2022 and later from the JD(U) after he was overlooked for renomination to the Rajya Sabha. RCP had been a Rajya Sabha member since 2010. Singh joined the BJP in May 2023. Nitish returned to the NDA in January 2024. Singh floated his Aap Sabki Awaaz Party last November. After joining forces the two new friends in Bihar are expected to escalate their attack on Nitish Kumar. Kishor had planned to launch a signature campaign in Nalanda, protesting the state government's alleged failure to deliver on its promise of ₹ 2 lakh to 94 lakh poor families. However, he was barred from entering the village. 'As for impact on ground, I do not see that happening much. No matter what the perceptions says, Nitish Kumar is arguably the tallest Kurmi leader in Bihar as of now,' Tiwari said.
Indian Express
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Ex-Nitish aide RCP Singh buries hatchet with Prashant Kishor, merges outfit with Jan Suraaj
With the Bihar Assembly elections barely five months away, former political foes are turning friends in the state now. On Sunday, ex-Union minister Ramchandra Prasad Singh, popularly known as RCP Singh, joined hands with his long-time detractor Prashant Kishor and merged his little-known Aap Sabki Awaaz Party with the latter's Jan Suraaj Party (JSP). Seen to be fierce rivals during their stints in the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), the two leaders were all praise for each other on Sunday. 'I was fascinated by how the JSP has been speaking about issues that concern the common man… We are committed to work towards making Bihar beautiful and prosperous,' Singh said as he donned the JSP's yellow scarf and was welcomed into the party by Kishor himself in Patna. Singh, an OBC Kurmi face from Nalanda, had also been the former national president of the JD(U). He is likely to help the JSP consolidate a section of the Kurmi community – known as a core voter base of Nitish – in its favour. 'RCP Singh's induction is likely to boost the JSP's prospects among the Kurmis but our biggest gain would be his organisational skills at a time when Kishor is trying to cobble up a social combination from all possible communities,' JSP sources said. Currently, the ruling NDA is seen to largely rely on Nitish and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) to garner the support of the Kurmi-Koeri (Luv-Kush) voter base, which collectively make up 7% of the electorate in Bihar. On his part, Kishor said Singh would not be just a worker but a key leader of the party. Asked if Singh would be the JSP's chief ministerial candidate, he quipped, 'At least now you have started believing that we can form the government. It is good to see our CM candidate is being discussed.' Saying that Singh, a former bureaucrat, brought with him years of experience in administration as well as politics, Kishor went on to recall how he had worked with the former 'much before' RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Kumar came together ahead of the 2015 Assembly polls. 'Nitish always said he abhorred the three Cs – crime, corruption and communalism. Now, he is not the same person… but we still respect Nitish Kumar, the idea. RCP Singh is a great addition not just to the JSP but also to the great common cause that binds us together,' he said. Reminded that Singh had earlier said that Kishor 'had not contributed anything to Bihar', the JSP founder said, 'RCP Singh was right in saying that as I started contributing to the state only from May 2022, when I started the Jan Suraaj campaign.' A 1984-batch IAS officer with 28 years of administrative experience, Singh first came into contact with Nitish during the latter's stint as Railways Minister between 2001 and 2004. As Nitish assumed the CM's chair in 2005, Singh was brought to Bihar the following year as a civil servant. Once considered as a key Nitish aide and the most powerful bureaucrat in Bihar, Singh took voluntary retirement from the IAS and formally joined the JD(U) in 2010, and was seen as its key organisational man, who was credited with expanding the party at the grassroots level. While many saw Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh as Nitish's No. 2, RCP Singh was said to be 'running the show' from behind the scenes. As Kishor joined the JD(U) as its national vice-president, a hitherto non-existent post, in 2018, RCP Singh seemingly saw his authority being challenged. However, despite being up the party's pecking order in comparison to senior leaders like Lalan Singh and then general secretary K C Tyagi, Kishor felt 'suffocated' as RCP Singh continued to call the shots. Though both Kishor and RCP Singh never publicly criticised each other, the 'cold war' between them was no secret within party circles. Eventually, Kishor quit the JD(U) in January 2020 to launch the 'Bihar ki Baat', an initiative which failed to take off due to the Covid-19 pandemic. RCP Singh rose further to become the JD(U) national president and in July 2021, recommended himself for the lone Union Cabinet berth from the party's quota in the second Narendra Modi government, seemingly upsetting Lalan Singh. RCP Singh's rivalry with Lalan Singh and his proximity to the BJP led him to resign first as the party's national president in August 2021, and a year later, from the Union Cabinet and the JD(U) after he was overlooked for renomination to the Rajya Sabha. He had been a Rajya Sabha member since 2010. After lying low for a few months, Singh went on to join the BJP in May 2023 but seemingly lost relevance after Nitish returned to the NDA in January last year. After being denied any key role even after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he went on to float his Aap Sabki Awaaz Party last November. However, his party remained a non-starter.
The Print
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Why Raj Kumar Pal stepped down as UP chief of Apna Dal (S), a ‘2-personality show'
'I gave my best in the last three years. I was not a selected state president, but an elected one, as I had won our state body polls. I tried to bring democracy into the set-up, but it is a one-man show, or we can say a two-personality show. Ashish and Anupriya run the party. The state chief and other functionaries have no say in the party. I cannot work as a 'rubber stamp' anymore,' he told ThePrint.. Pal, a former MLA from Pratapgarh, told ThePrint that the organisation was being expanded by the party's top brass without his involvement in the exercise. He said that the party's state executive was not revived after remaining dissolved for over one year. He also accused Anupriya's husband and UP cabinet minister, Ashish Patel, of using foul language with party workers. Lucknow: In a setback for Union Minister and Apna Dal (Sonelal) chief Anupriya Patel, the party's Uttar Pradesh unit chief Raj Kumar Pal has resigned for being 'neglected' by the party, accusing Anupriya of deviating from the principles of Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar and party ideologue Sonelal Patel in his resignation letter, submitted Tuesday. 'The whole party system has been ruined by Ashish Patel. He misbehaves with district-level leaders and workers. Politics is not a corporate job, where one can bear any rubbish thing.' The party functionaries have denied the charges levelled by Pal. Ashish said, 'Pal's allegations are completely false. He only wanted a ticket for himself from one seat of Pratapgarh, but this time that particular seat was likely to go to the BJP, so he would not be able to contest polls. That is why he decided to resign. If the situation was that bad, what was he doing at the party for so many years?' ThePrint has, however, learnt that Pal is likely to join the Samajwadi Party. According to a senior functionary in SP, 'Pal is in touch with the party's top leadership. He is likely to get a green signal from there soon, but nothing has been finalised yet.' Speaking to ThePrint, Pal also praised Pallavi Patel, leader of the faction Apna Dal (Kamerwadi), and sister of Anupriya. 'She is more skilled and has struggled a lot more than Anupriya,' he said. He added, 'Anupriya and Ashish captured Sonelal Patel's legacy, but have not done anything for OBCs (Other Backward Classes). My community, Pal Samaj, has over 20,000 votes in at least 100 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, but they have not done anything for them. I will go where my samaj gets respect. Both SP and BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) have a state president from Pal samaj. Other parties should also learn from them.' The Pal community in Uttar Pradesh is among the most backward caste groups, known as the Gadaria and Baghel castes. The community is dominant in the districts of Brij and Rohilkhand areas of the state. According to Apna Dal (S) functionaries, the key reason behind making Pal a state unit chief was that the party wanted to look beyond the Kurmis, its support base. However, instead of focusing on organisational activities, Pal was pressuring the party high command to give him an assembly election ticket, they said. 'Now, Pal's allegations have dealt a big blow to the party cadre as complaints of neglect of local leaders are coming up from several district units. It should be addressed by the party high command,' a local leader told ThePrint. Pal, 61, was formerly with the Bharatiya Janata Party, but in 2019, he won the bypolls on an Apna Dal (S) ticket from the Pratapgarh seat, which had been vacated by Sangam Lal Gupta—who had moved from Apna Dal to BJP—following his election to Lok Sabha in 2019. In the 2022 assembly polls, when the SP & Apna Dal (K) alliance fielded Krishna Patel (Anupriya's mother) from that seat, Apna Dal (S) decided not to contest there. The BJP fielded Rajendra Maurya, who won the seat. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Half face Ambedkar, half face Akhilesh: BJP, BSP slam SP poster for 'hurting Dalit sentiments'
