Faced with the danger of losing power in Bihar, the RJD on Sunday ran full-page advertising in newspapers to "thank" its youthful leader Tejashwi Yadav for his achievements as deputy chief minister, news agency PTI reported. "Dhanyawad (thank you) Tejashwi," reads the advertisements put out in Hindi, from "state unit of Rashtriya Janata Dal, Mahagathbandhan Parivar", in a clear attempt to push the image of the 34-year-old leader, whose father, Lalu Prasad, leads the party.
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The RJD, which emerged as the single largest party in the 2020 assembly elections, found itself in opposition when the Mahagathbandhan, which included Congress and three Left parties, failed to secure a majority.
It gained power in August 2022 after a realignment with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president, who had left the BJP-led NDA, which he is set to rejoin.
In recent days of political uncertainty, the party has pleaded with Kumar to "clear the confusion," asserting that it will make "no attempts to bring down the government." According to reports, Nitish is expected to resign on Sunday, ending his 18-month ruling coalition with Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress.
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Earlier on Saturday, after a party meeting, RJD national spokeperson Manoj Jha stated that "all leaders unanimously authorised the party supremo (Lalu Prasad) to take any decision regarding the developments that may take place today [Saturday] or tomorrow [Sunday]".
With 79 MLAs, the RJD is the largest party in the Bihar legislature and a member of the Mahagathbandhan, which also includes the Congress and three Left parties. If Nitish Kumar's JD(U) withdraws, the Mahagathbandhan loses eight MLAs from its majority in the assembly.