Bihar polls: Ex-JD(U) lawmakers Santosh Kushwaha, Rahul Sharma join RJD

Former Janata Dal (United) leaders Santosh Kushwaha and Rahul Sharma joined the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Friday, days before the Bihar Assembly elections.

The two leaders formally joined the RJD in the presence of party leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav.

Kushwaha, a two-time JD(U) MP from Purnea, had lost the seat last year to Independent candidate Pappu Yadav. His political debut in 2014 had drawn attention after he quit the BJP, relinquishing the Baisi Assembly seat to contest on a JD(U) ticket. Defying the 'Modi wave', he managed to secure one of only two Lok Sabha seats the JD(U) won that year — a defeat that had prompted chief minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar to resign taking “moral responsibility”, before returning to power within a year.

Rahul Sharma, a former MLA from Ghosi in Jehanabad district, is the son of veteran politician Jagdish Sharma, who had represented the segment for a record eight terms — variously as an Independent and on tickets of the Janata Party, BJP and JD(U).

Others who joined the RJD on Friday include Lok Janshakti Party leader Ajay Kushwaha and Chanaykya Prasad Ranjan, son of JD(U)’s Banka MP Girdhari Prasad Yadav.

Their induction is being viewed as part of the RJD’s strategy to consolidate support among the Kushwaha community and the Bhumihar upper caste group — both traditionally seen as NDA vote banks.

“The RJD family welcomes Santosh Kushwaha, Rahul Sharma, Ajay Kushwaha and Chanaykya Prasad Ranjan. The party will be strengthened after their joining,” Tejashwi said.

“People are fed up with the NDA government in the state. The CM is not in his senses. His government will be thrown out by the people in the coming assembly polls,” he claimed.

Polling for the Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on 6 and 11 November, with counting scheduled for 14 November.

With PTI inputs