JD(U) General Secretary Ali Ashraf Fatmi Resigns, Fuels Speculation Of Return To RJD Ahead Of LS Polls

Mohammed Ali Ashraf Fatmi hinted at revealing his future plans in the coming days. Fatmi's decision comes on the heels of the NDA's announcement of its seat-sharing arrangement for Bihar.

File photo of Former JD(U) national general secretary Mohammed Ali Ashraf Fatmi

Source : PTI

New Delhi: JD(U) national general secretary Mohammed Ali Ashraf Fatmi on Tuesday resigned from the party and triggered speculation regarding his return to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). In a handwritten letter addressed to JD(U) national president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Fatmi said he was giving up the party post as well as the primary membership for protecting moral values.

मैं जद(यू.) पार्टी के सभी पदों सहित प्राथमिक सदस्यता से इस्तीफा देता हूं. pic.twitter.com/lgMxai0cwq

— Mohd Ali Ashraf Fatmi (@Fatmialiashraf) March 19, 2024

 Ashraf Fatmi confirmed his resignation today, stating, "I have resigned today. I have also resigned from the position of National General Secretary."

#WATCH | Patna, Bihar: On his resignation from JDU, Former JDU leader Ali Ashraf Fatmi says, "I have resigned today. I have also resigned from the position of National General Secretary. The reason is not personal... The Mahagathbandhan government was running smoothly in Bihar.… pic.twitter.com/Uu9v2dO7wL

— ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2024

In a conversation with PTI over phone, he said, "I have quit JD(U) and do not wish to say much more in the matter. As regards my future course of action, it will be known in a few days."

Fatmi's decision comes on the heels of the NDA's announcement of its seat-sharing arrangement for Bihar. The BJP's allocation of 17 seats, including constituencies like Darbhanga— which Fatmi has won four times— and Madhubani, , which according to insiders, he may have settled for had it gone into the JD(U) kitty.

Mohammed Ali Ashraf Fatmi, a seasoned leader who served as the Minister of State for Human Resources Development in the UPA 1 government, parted ways with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) five years ago, in protest against the RJD's nomination of another prominent Muslim leader, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, from Darbhanga constituency, and conceding the Madhubani seat to the then alliance partner, Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP). 

Speculations are rife that Fatmi, whose son Faraz is a sitting JD(U) MLA, may be wooed back by the RJD which hopes to consolidate its Muslim support base following Nitish Kumar's return to the BJP-led NDA.