Bihar: JD-U MLA Sanjiv Kumar to join RJD ahead of Assembly polls

Patna, Oct 3 JD-U sitting MLA from Parbatta Assembly constituency, Sanjiv Kumar, is set to join the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav confirmed on Friday.

“Sanjiv Kumar, the sitting MLA of JD-U, will join our party. We are going to Parbatta in Khagaria district for his joining. With his joining, our party will become stronger in the region,” Tejashwi said.

The move is being seen as significant, as Tejashwi himself will travel to Parbatta for the induction, underlining the importance of Kumar’s switch.

Earlier, addressing supporters in his home constituency, Sanjiv Kumar had already indicated that he would be leaving JD-U to join RJ-D.

Kumar’s shift comes against the backdrop of his known rebellious streak within JD-U ranks.

During the floor test of the Nitish Kumar government in February 2024, Sanjiv Kumar created a stir when he failed to reach the Bihar Assembly on time.

Reports suggested he was in neighbouring Jharkhand and was intercepted by police while crossing the Bihar-Jharkhand border in Nawada district.

Though he eventually voted in favour of the Nitish Kumar government, his stance projected him as a dissenter within JD-U.

He was not alone. Bima Bharti, then JD-U MLA from Rupauli in Purnea, also displayed a rebellious stand during the same floor test.

Unlike Kumar, she later resigned from JD-U, joined the RJ-D, and contested the Lok Sabha election from Purnea on an RJD ticket, but lost to independent candidate Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav.

Bharti also unsuccessfully contested the subsequent Rupauli by-poll.

Both leaders are now expected to contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections on RJD tickets - Sanjiv Kumar from Parbatta and Bima Bharti from Rupauli - signalling RJD’s strategy to strengthen its base by inducting disenchanted JD-U faces.

RJD is making efforts to induct more leaders of the opposition parties.

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