Ahead of Bihar polls, former DGP Sunil Kumar joins CM Nitish Kumar-led JDU

Ahead of assembly elections in Bihar, former Director General of Police (DGP) Sunil Kumar has joined the ruling JDU on Saturday. Sunil Kumar, who has served as Patna SSP and later as DGP (Home Guards) and DGP (Fire Services), joined Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party in presence of Bihar minister Lalan Singh. Sources said that he is likely to contest the state assembly elections in October-November.

While joining the party, Sunil Kumar said that he has complete faith in the policies of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. "I am getting into politics and joining Nitish Kumar with the sole intention of doing social service," he added.

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Bihar assembly elections 

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Bihar is all set to go to polls for a 243-member assembly seat this year. While BJP and JDU have said that they will contest the polls with CM Nitish Kumar as the leader, the Mahagathbandhan is still discussing the name of former CM Lalu Yadav's son Tejashwi Yadav. In a big blow to RJD, former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM left the Mahagathbandhan.

While Kumar faces strong anti-incumbency, RJD - Bihar's main opposition has lost the luster it once had due to the absence of it's chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. In the 2015 assembly polls, CM Nitish Kumar's JDU, then a part of the Mahagathbandhan won 71 seats, Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD won 80 seats, and Congress won 27 seats. The BJP which fought the elections alone after Kumar in 2013 broke the 17-year-old alliance won a mere 53 seats out of 157 contested. However, the saffron party came back to power when Kumar ditched the Mahagathbandhan and once again stitched an alliance with the BJP.

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