IAS officer-turned politician Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, better known by his initials RCP Singh, was on Sunday named the next national president of Janata Dal (United), replacing Nitish Kumar.
Singh, a close confidant of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, is a Rajya Sabha member. Before his elevation to the national president Singh was the general secretary of JD(U).
The decision was taken at the party’s national executive meeting held in Patna. During the meeting Nitish Kumar proposed Singh’s name for the party’s top post and it was supported by all members of the national executive.
RCP Singh, a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, is known to be closest and most trusted lieutenant of Nitish Kumar.
When Nitish Kumar was Railway Minister during Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, RCP Singh worked as his personal secretary. When Nitish Kumar became chief minister he brought RCP Singh to Patna and made him his Principal Secretary.
Singh, a 1984 batch IAS officer, quit the job months before retirement from his service in 2010 and joined JDU. The same year he was made a member of the Rajya Sabha. He was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2016 and continues to be a member of the Upper House of Parliament. He is also JDU is leader in Rajya Sabha.
RCP Singh belongs to the same caste as Nitish Kumar. The two leaders are also from the same district Nalanda. RCP Singh was born on 6 July 1958, at Mustafapur village in Nalanda district. He did his schooling from a School at Hussainpur and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Patna College and did Master of Arts from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
RCP Singh is married to Girija Singh. They have two daughters. One of his daughters, Lipi Singh, is a 2016 batch IPS officer.
In a tweet message RCP Singh thanked Nitish Kumar for his appointment as the next national president of the party. “I am thankful to my leader and guide honourable Shri Nitish babu who has shown faith in me and given me this responsibility,” Singh said in a tweet in Hindi. “ मैं अपने नेता अभिभावक मार्गदर्शक आदरणीय श्री नीतीश बाबू का तहेदिल से शुक्रगुज़ार हूँ जिन्होंने मुझ पर भरोसा जताया और ये ज़िम्मेदारी सौंपी । मैं पार्टी के हर सदस्य, हर कार्यकर्ता एवं पदाधिकारी के प्रति आभार व्यक्त करता हूँ ।आप सभी का बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद”.
“My heartiest congratulations to Shri @RCP_Singh on being nominated as National President @Jduonline. A distinguished Rajya Sabha MP with an illustrious career, Shri Singh brings to the party enormous experience of organisational management. Best wishes on his new assignment,” Vijay Kumar Choudhary, a senior leader of JDU and cabinet minister in Nitish Kumar government for Water Resources, Rural Works Engineering, Rural Development, Parliamentary Affairs, Information & Public Relations, said in a tweet.
