Bihar Election Shakeup: Ex-JD(U) Leaders Defect To RJD As BJP Eyes 6 Congress-RJD MLAs

Ahead of Bihar's Assembly elections, ex-JD(U) leaders Santosh Kumar Kushwaha and Rahul Sharma joined RJD, citing discontent with JD(U)'s leadership and neglect of grassroots issues.

Jaiswal's remarks were made at a press conference organized to mark the re-entry of Ajay Nishad into the BJP.

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In a notable development ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, former Janata Dal (United) leaders Santosh Kumar Kushwaha and Rahul Sharma have joined the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), citing discontent with JD(U)’s leadership and governance. Santosh Kumar Kushwaha, a two-time MP from Purnea (2014 and 2019), pointed to the party’s internal power concentration and disconnect from grassroots issues as reasons for his exit.

Speaking to ANI, he said, “The party is now controlled by a handful of individuals who lack ground-level experience. Our concerns were ignored, and we refused to compromise on self-respect.” He expressed confidence in RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, stating that under his leadership, Bihar would witness progress and a new government by November 14.

Kushwaha had previously lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election to independent candidate Pappu Yadav.

Rahul Sharma, former MLA from Ghosi in Jehanabad district (2010–2015), also cited neglect of local issues as a key reason for leaving JD(U). “There were several issues in my constituency that went unaddressed. We needed a strong alternative, and Tejashwi Yadav’s employment initiatives convinced us to join RJD,” he said.

Six RJD-Congress Leaders To Join BJP: Dilip

Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal asserted on Friday that the party is set to gather momentum leading up to the imminent assembly elections. He claimed that the BJP anticipates "roughly six legislators from the RJD-Congress coalition" will switch their allegiance in the near future.

Jaiswal's remarks were made at a press conference organized to mark the re-entry of Ajay Nishad into the BJP. Nishad, a former two-term Member of Parliament for Muzaffarpur, had recently run in the Lok Sabha elections as a Congress candidate after the BJP chose to nominate Raj Bhushan Chaudhary—who is now a Union Minister—for the constituency instead.

Election Countdown Begins

The Election Commission has announced that Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats will go to polls in two phases—on November 6 and 11—with counting scheduled for November 14.

The upcoming elections will see a contest between the NDA, led by BJP and JD(U), and the INDIA bloc, spearheaded by Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD. The INDIA alliance also includes Congress, CPI-ML (led by Dipankar Bhattacharya), CPI, CPM, and Mukesh Sahani’s VIP. Additionally, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj has declared its intention to contest all 243 seats.