In a dramatic turn of events in Bihar’s cooperative politics, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has gained control of the state’s apex marketing cooperative body- Biscomaun, ending more than a decade and a half of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) dominance.
The leadership shift was sealed during the elections for the posts of Chairman and Vice-Chairman, held last week on Friday. Though the results were not announced officially due to the Jharkhand High Court gag, it is reliably learnt that the BJP supported Vishal Singh and Mahesh Rai have won the two top posts.
Vishal Singh, who also serves as Chairman of the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF), won the Chairman’s post by securing 12 votes, defeating Bandana Singh, wife of outgoing Chairman and senior RJD leader Sunil Kumar Singh, who secured 7 votes. One vote was declared invalid.
Soon after the election, Vishal Singh, along with the newly elected team, met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to convey their gratitude. They also extended their appreciation to Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey, Ashok Choudhary, and Raju Kumar Singh for their continued support and encouragement.
Commenting on the occasion, Vishal Singh said, “The election for the Chairman and Vice Chairman of BISCOMAUN was conducted smoothly. The official announcement will be made at the appropriate time”.
“I extend my sincere thanks to all members of the Board of Directors who exercised their vote in the spirit of strengthening the cooperative movement. We are fully committed to advancing the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah ji, and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ji”, he added.
In the election for Vice-Chairman, Mahesh Rai, a BJP-backed candidate from Gopalganj, secured 11 votes, defeating Vinay Kumar, an RJD MLA and close aide of Sunil Kumar Singh, who received 8 votes. One vote in this contest was also invalid.
However, the official declaration of office bearers remains pending. Indian Cooperative obtained the result details from sources.
On Thursday evening last week, an interim order from the High Court of Jharkhand (Ranchi) cast a legal shadow over the process. The writ petition, W.P.(C) No. 2485/2025, filed by the State of Jharkhand, challenges the cooperative election authority’s notifications and letters dated 03.04.2025 and 05.05.2025, which laid the groundwork for the BISCOMAUN elections scheduled for 8th and 9th May 2025.
The petition, reportedly initiated at the behest of Sunil Kumar Singh, has temporarily disrupted the process and brought it under judicial scrutiny.
While the BJP’s electoral win marks a significant political and strategic breakthrough in Bihar’s cooperative sector, the final outcome now depends on the court’s ruling. If upheld, this leadership transition could reshape the power dynamics in Bihar’s cooperative ecosystem, historically dominated by the RJD.