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The murmur in the political corridors of Bihar has once again intensified and this time the discussion is not about any election result or seat sharing, but about changing the name of Janata Dal United (JDU), which is the pivot of power and organization of the state. A demand has started rising from within the party itself that ‘United’ i.e. ‘U’ should be removed from the name of this more than two decade old party and the name of a well-known socialist leader of the country and the state should be added in its place. Political analysts believe that if this proposal is implemented, it will prove to be a huge ideological and organizational change in the history of the party. This sudden proposal given by the National Working President of JDU has created a stir not only within the party but also in the opposition camp. Everyone is eager to know what hidden message or political motive of the party is working behind the speculations of this name change.
#Rumor of changing name of JDU and Sanjay Jha’s proposal
This whole discussion within Janata Dal United about amending the name of the party has started after a statement and appeal given by the party’s National Working President Sanjay Kumar Jha. During a program organized in Khagaria, he had openly said that whatever position the party has achieved in its journey and whatever ideological identity it has developed, the invaluable contribution of the universally accepted leader has been at the center of it. Keeping this in mind, he had suggested that the name of Janata Dal United i.e. JDU should now be changed to ‘Janata Dal Nitish’. Ever since this proposal came to light, reactions started pouring in among senior party leaders. Many senior ministers and leaders of the party have strongly supported this suggestion and even said that this decision is completely justified because the identity and existence of the party has revolved around a single face.
#Support within the party and reactions from senior leaders
As soon as this proposal of Sanjay Jha became public, a round of support and measured statements started within the party. Rural Development Minister and senior party leader Shravan Kumar welcomed this suggestion wholeheartedly and even said that this proposal should be brought on the party platform and passed unanimously as soon as possible. His argument was that every worker and leader of the party is maintaining its identity in politics on the basis of name and work of the same personality. On the other hand, the state’s Deputy Chief Minister and party’s old socialist leader Vijendra Prasad Yadav gave a very balanced reaction on this matter. He said that this proposal may be based on a good thought and personal feeling, but only when it comes before the party’s forum or organization officially, a final decision will be taken after duly considering it. Experts believe that such open discussion within the party is an indication that the leadership is planning to think in a new direction regarding this matter.
#How is the entire process and history of changing the name of the party?
It is also very interesting to know how the present JDU came into existence. About thirteen years ago, i.e. on 30 October 2003, Samata Party along with George Fernandes and other socialist leaders and Janata Dal led by Sharad Yadav merged with each other, after which this new political party was named ‘Janata Dal United’. Since then, the party has continuously made its place as a strong force in the politics of Bihar. Now if the name of the party is changed to ‘Janata Dal Nitish’, it will have to go through a long legal and organizational process. According to the rules of political parties, for any national or provincial party to change its name, first of all a formal resolution has to be passed in the national executive meeting of the party. After this, the details of amendment in the constitution of the party and the affidavit of support of all the senior officials have to be submitted to the Election Commission of India. The new name of the party is finalized only after all the technical and legal investigations by the Election Commission.
#Sharp attack by opposition and discussions in political circles
These discussions about changing the name of JDU have given a big issue to the opposition parties. The main opposition party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other political organizations have started taking a dig at this. Opposition leaders claim that such things point towards the ongoing internal turmoil within the party and future political crisis. Many RJD leaders have reacted sharply and even said that those who are talking about changing the name of the party today are actually weakening the organization from within. However, the main spokespersons of JDU have rejected all these opposition claims and have bluntly said that the party is completely united and the opposition parties should look inward. On one hand, demands like changing the name of Bakhtiyarpur to ‘Nitishpur’ were already floating in the air, on the other hand, now this proposal of changing the name of the party itself has completely raised the temperature of the politics of the state. Now all eyes are on whether the name of Janata Dal United will really be changed to ‘Janata Dal Nitish’ in the coming days or whether it will remain limited to political discussions only.