JD(U) expels four state presidents for ‘anti-party’ activities

Patna: JD(U) on Tuesday expelled its four state unit presidents from primary membership of the party on the charges of indulging in anti-party activities and not carrying out the membership drive as per its guidelines.
JD(U) general secretary Javed Raza said the state unit presidents of Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi and Uttarakhand, Govind Yadav, Amitabh Dutta, Balbir Singh and Pramod Sharma, respectively, were expelled from the party for six years as they failed to carry out the JD(U) membership drive and hold organizational polls in their respective states.
Within hours of their expulsions, JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar appointed former MLA Saroj Bachchan Nayak, Kapil Khan and Raj Singh Man as the party’s conveners for Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi, respectively, Raza told TOI.
The rumblings in the party in the four states, where JD(U) has nominal support base, came to light on September 30 after their state presidents called a press conference in New Delhi and termed “unconstitutional” the elevation of Nitish as the party’s national president in April this year. They also demanded reelection for the post.
“Nomination of Nitish as national president on April 10, 2016 was unconstitutional,” Govind Yadav had told media persons on September 30. Govind alleged that the JD(U) breached Section 19(6) of the party constitution by electing Nitish as its national president. “As per the party constitution, Nitish cannot be reelected as president until the organizational elections in at least half of the states are completed. Till date, no organizational election, except in a few states like Bihar, has taken place,” Gobind had told reporters.
Incidentally, Nitish was on Tuesday elected unopposed as the JD(U) national president for the second time. Nitish was nominated the party’s president at its national executive meeting in New Delhi on April 10 this year, replacing party veteran Sharad Yadav. His nomination was later ratified at the party's national council meet in Patna on April 23.