Raghuvansh resigns from RJD ahead of elections NADDA LIKELY TO MEET NITISH KUMAR TODAY
In a major political development on Thursday, senior RJD leader and former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh resigned from the party.
In a handwritten letter to RJD chief Lalu Yadav, he announced his resignation and sought “forgiveness” for quitting the party.
He is currently admitted to an Intensive Care Unit of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi where he has been undergoing treatment for a suspected case of pneumonia.
In June he had stepped down from the post of the party’s national vicepresident over Tejashwi Yadav’s decision to induct his rival Rama Singh into the RJD.
The matter was later put on hold after Lalu Yadav intervened and also persuaded Raghuvansh Prasad Singh to reconsider his decision.
Sources claim that he was upset after Tej Pratap criticized him for opposing the party’s decision to induct don-turned-politician and former LJP MP Rama Singh into the RJD.
In a handwritten note sent to Lalu Yadav on Thursday Raghuvansh Prasad Singh wrote, “After the demise of Karpuri Thakur, I stood behind you for 32 years. But that won’t be possible anymore”.
He further thanked RJD workers for extending support and also apologized for quitting the party.
Being an election season, the move is being seen as a major setback for the RJD leadership especially Tejashwi Yadav who has been trying to strengthen the party and its voters’ base. Both Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Rama Singh, Rajput by caste are considered influential upper caste leaders in Vaishali region.
According to sources Tejashwi Yadav has been keen on inducting Rama Singh in the party to strengthen his upper caste base in Raghopur
BJP president J.P. Nadda will be on a two-day visit to Bihar from Friday where he is likely to meet Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar who has been under attack not just from the Opposition but ruling NDA ally LJP’s Chirag Paswan over various issues.
While the ruling NDA, with a new ally Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM, is yet to officially start discussing the contentious seat sharing formula, LJP, which had contested
42 seats in 2015 and won just two, wants a even larger share of seats this time which the JD(U) and the BJP are unlikely to agree.
Mr Manjhi has declared his unconditional support to the Bihar CM and HAM was inducted in the NDA by the JD(U).
The BJP has already declared that the ruling NDA will contest the coming polls under Mr Kumar’s leadership and his popularity remains still high despite the state in news over lack of
Covid-19 care facilities.
Assembly constituency from where he had contested and won in 2015.
Political analysts, however, claim that Raghuvansh Prasad Singh quitting the RJD ahead of Assembly polls may impact the party’s tally in Vaishali and adjoining areas as he is considered “a poor man’s leader” in Bihar.
Hindustani Awam Morcha which recently walked out of the RJD led the grand alliance on welcomed Raghuvansh Prasad Singh’s decision and said that “He is a respected leader and in my view, he has taken a wise decision by resigning from the party. I also urge other senior leaders to quit the RJD and join hands with Nitish Kumar for the future of Bihar”.