Former IAS officer Manish Verma joins JD (U)

Patna (Bihar) [India], July 10 (ANI): Former IAS officer Manish Verma has joined Janata Dal (United). After taking voluntary retirement (VRS) from the service in 2018, he has been working as a close aide to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Verma joined JD (U) in the presence of the party’s working president and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha and state water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary in Patna on Tuesday. The event was also highlighted in a tweet from Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday evening:

“At the reception ceremony held at the state office in Patna, social worker Mr. Manish Verma joined JD (U). During this event, the party’s acting national president and Rajya Sabha MP Mr. @SanjayJhaBihar, state president Mr. @JDUUmeshSingh, minister Mr. @VijayKChy, minister Mr. @jayantrkushwaha, Legislative Council member Mr. Ramvachan Rai, Legislative Council member Mr. Sanjay Kumar Singh ‘Gandhi’, Legislative Council member Mr. Lalan Sarraf, and Legislative Council member Mr. @khalidanwarind, along with other party leaders and officials, were present. A hearty welcome to you for joining the JD (U) family. #JDU #Bihar #NitishKumar #Patna”

Verma reportedly has a close rapport with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, as both hail from the Nalanda district and belong to the Kurmi community.

A 2000-batch IAS officer, Verma served as the district magistrate of Patna and Purnea districts. He was also a member of the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority.

Recently, he has been active in the organisational works of JD (U). In the recently held Lok Sabha election, he is said to have played an important role in the party. He toured all 16 parliamentary constituencies that JD (U) contested in Bihar as part of a constituent in the BJP-led NDA alliance. The party performed well in the election, winning 12 out of the 16 seats it contested.