New Delhi: In a major setback to Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janaat Dal (RJD) suffered a major jolt as three of its former MLAs officially joined hands with Nitish Kumar-led JD (U).
This also came as a personal blow to Lalu Yadav, as his ‘samadhi’ and Tej Pratap’s father-in-law Chandrika Rai also quit his party and joined the ruling JD(U).
It is worth remembering that Lalu and Chandrika shared good relations but after the nasty and public spat between Tej Pratap and Aishwarya made the relations sour.
Rai has also hinted that his daughter might contest the coming assembly polls.
Tej Pratap’s wife may contest polls against RJD leader
He, however, did not specify the name of the RJD leader against whom his daughter Aishwarya would contest polls, but asserted that there is no “safe seats” for both brothers — Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav — in the state.
Rai’s daughter Aishwarya had tied the knot with Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav in May, 2018 though the latter filed a divorce petition barely six months later citing incompatibility.
The matter is pending with a Patna court.
2 other RJD leaders who joined JD(U)
Apart from Rai, the other two RJD MLAs who embraced JD-U are — Jai Vardhan Yadav, the Paliganj (Patna) MLA and grandson of former Union minister and famous Yadav leader Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav besides Faraz Fatmi, MLA from Keoti (Darbhanga).
Fatmi is the son of the former Union minister Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi, who had quit the RJD during 2019 Lok Sabha elections after he was denied ticket.
Fatmi senior is currently with the JD-U headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar.
RJD’s dwindling numbers in Bihar Assembly
Earlier on August 17, three RJD MLAs — Maheshwar Prasad Yadav (Gaighat in Muzaffarpur), Prema Choudhary (Patepur in Vaishali) and Ashok Kumar Kushwaha (Sasaram in Rohtas) — had joined the JD-U.
The RJD had expelled its three legislators from the party for six years on charge of anti-party activities on August 16.
The RJD’s strength is 80 in the Bihar assembly but the number has come down by six in just four days and media reports suggest that many more legislators may leave the party to join other parties especially NDA ahead of the polls expected in October-November.
