PATNA, June 15 -- Senior RJD leader and former MP Mangani Lal Mandal is all set to become Bihar state president of the party as it full-fledgedly gears for upcoming assembly polls. The 77-year-old veteran leader, who hails from Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) that form the majority of backward castes in the state, filed his nomination papers for the party chief's post in presence of party supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, former chief minister Rabri Devi, leader of opposition in Bihar assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, and other notable leaders of the party. Mandal was the only leader to have filed nomination and thus his election is all but formality. He will replace outgoing state unit chief Jagdanand Singh unopposed. Mandal belongs to the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) that form the majority of backward castes in the state. A formal announcement of Mandal's appointment as new state president of the RJD is scheduled to be made on June 19 after the scrutiny of papers and other formalities in the next few days. The election to the post of state president is taking place as part of the RJD's ongoing organisational polls. Mandal, a former state minister and an ex-MP with tenures in both Houses of Parliament, had returned to the RJD in January this year after severing ties with the JD(U) headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar. Mandal had joined the JD(U) ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls alleging that the EBCs were getting a raw deal in the RJD. The RJD's bid to make Mandal, an EBC member, as the next state president is seen as a significant political move to woo the section that constitutes around 36% of the state's 13 crore population and form a major vote base for both the ruling NDA and opposition Grand Alliance comprising RJD, Congress and Left combine. Speaking to reporters, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, "He is an experienced politician...be it as a Rajya Sabha MP or Lok Sabha MP, he raised the voices of the people... He has worked with my father for many years. He has played a big role in taking socialist politics forward. We are happy that Mangani Lal Mandal gave his nomination as state president of the party." On his part, Mandal told reporters that his focus would be the forthcoming assembly polls. "I would take my new role as a challenge and discharge my responsibilities to strengthen the party ahead of the state assembly polls," he said. For last few months, there were speculations that the party could have a new state president as the outgoing state president Jagdanand Singh, considered close to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, had remained a bit aloof from the party affairs citing health reasons. It is also said that Singh, who has served as state president for two terms, has been unhappy with the party after the loss of his younger son Ajit Kumar Singh from Ramgarh assembly seat in by-polls held in November last year. Meanwhile, RJD spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan, who is also the returning officer for the party's organisational polls, said that Mandal was the only candidate to have filed his nomination papers for the post till the process came to an end in the afternoon. "Tomorrow is the date for scrutiny of nomination papers and if these are found to be in order, and Mandal does not withdraw from the poll, he will be declared elected to the post of state president on June 19," Gagan added. The RJD's national council will be held on July 5 in Patna where the name of the new RJD national president would be announced. There is all likelihood RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav would be re-elected....