Bihar: Congress MLAs Murari Prasad Gautam, Siddharth Saurav, And RJD MLA Sangita Kumari Join BJP

Congress's Murari Prasad Gautam and Siddharth Saurav and RJD's Sangita Kumari joined the saffron party today.

Bihar Congress MLA Siddharth Saurav joined BJP today.

Source : ANI

New Delhi: Two Bihar Congress MLAs and one Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA on Tuesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. 

Congress's Murari Prasad Gautam and Siddharth Saurav and RJD's Sangita Kumari joined the saffron party today, posing another major jolt to the Opposition-led INDIA bloc in Bihar ahead of the general elections.

The drama unfolded in the post-lunch session when Sangita Kumari, besides Murari Gautam and Siddharth Singh, were seen entering the assembly behind Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who is also the state BJP president.

They sat on the ruling side, upon being signalled by Choudhary to do so, and legislators of the ruling NDA thumped their desks in approval.

Reacting to the development, RJD leader Manoj Jha said, "This is an open and shut case of anti-defection law. Such an incident has never occurred before. This is Bihar, and it has even taught prominent leaders the lessons of democracy."

VIDEO | Here's what RJD leader Manoj Jha (@manojkjhadu) said on three opposition MLAs sitting with ruling party members in the state Assembly earlier today.

"This is an open and shut case of anti-defection law. Such an incident has never occurred before. This is Bihar, and it… pic.twitter.com/xE6f2Eg3kF

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 27, 2024

The recent defection of MLAs occurred shortly after three RJD MLAs left the party. This development coincided with the formation of a new government in Bihar, led by JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, with BJP as an ally.

The Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar secured a vote of confidence on February 12, with 129 MLAs supporting the motion.

The RJD has balked at seeking disqualification of Chetan Anand, Neelam Devi, and Prahlad Yadav, none of whom has so far formally resigned from the party.

The latest development marks the first sign of rebellion within the Congress, which had packed off all but one of its 19 MLAs to Hyderabad ahead of the trust vote, fearing a split.

Siddharth Singh, who is said to be unhappy with the Congress' state leadership, had then refused to leave Bihar, citing prior engagements in his Bikram constituency.

Murari Gautam lost his cabinet berth last month as a result of Nitish Kumar's abrupt exit from the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ and return to the NDA.