“Grateful to Nitish Kumarji…”: Sanjay Jha on being appointed as working president of JD(U)

New Delhi: Following his appointment as the working president of the Janata Dal-United, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha expressed his gratitude towards the JD(U) president and said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has “transformed” Bihar.

“Our leader and national president, CM Nitish Kumarji has given me a huge responsibility. I am grateful to him. Nitish Kumarji has transformed Bihar. The election that took place in Bihar has shown that we won 30 out of 40 seats. We have won 177 assembly seats out of 243. Bihar has given a signal for the 2025 Assembly elections,” Jha said while speaking to reporters in the national capital.

Speaking on the ongoing row over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), he emphasised that a strict law should be brought and the culprits should be punished.

“A strict law should be brought on this; action should be taken against those who are guilty, so that people’s confidence is restored,” he said.

The decision to appoint Jha as the working president of the JD(U) was taken in the National Executive meeting of the party in the national capital today, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. However, CM Kumar will continue to serve as the national president of the JD(U).

Sanjay Jha’s appointment as the working president of the party is seen as a significant affair, given that he is a close associate of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and also reportedly “close” to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s top leadership.

The key meeting also passed a resolution seeking special status for Bihar, which has been a long-pending demand of the party.

Bihar leaders, including Nitish Kumar, have long advocated for special category status, citing the state’s economic and social backwardness.

During the National Executive meeting, the JD(U) also called for strict action against those responsible for alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 exams.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the NEET-UG exams recently, is facing criticism over alleged irregularities in the exams. An unprecedented 67 students have achieved a perfect score of 720 out of 720, adding to the concerns.

The matter is, however, in the hands of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the probe is underway.

In the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, the JDU won 12 seats, emerging as the “kingmaker” for the NDA government. The BJP and another ally, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), bagged 12 and five seats respectively, taking the total tally of the alliance to 29.