Bihar: JD(U) expels minister Shyam Rajak for 'anti-party activities'; likely to join RJD

Acting on Bihar Industries Minister Shyam Rajak's 'anti-party' activities, Janata Dal (United) on Sunday, expelled him from the party and sacked him from his ministerial post. Sources say that Rajak who is unhappy with Ashok Choudhary's entry into JDU has been in touch with RJD and is set to join them shortly. This move comes just before the state goes to polls in November.

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LJP to withdraw support?

This setback to JD(U) comes two days after sources reported that NDA ally LJP chief Chirag Paswan is mulling on withdrawing support from the NDA government. While LJP has only 2 seats and won't affect the NDA government's majority, this move is significant as Bihar goes to polls in November. Paswan has opposed holding the Bihar assembly polls amid a spread of COVID-19 cases. LJP has also slammed Nitish Kumar for his indifference in the Sushant Singh Rajput's death, before the CM finally recommended a CBI probe into the case.

Bihar polls: LJP chief Chirag Paswan may withdraw support to Nitish Kumar govt say sources

Bihar assembly elections 

Bihar is going to polls in October-November this year. As BJP lost in Delhi, all eyes are set on former party chief Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar -led JDU. While Kumar faces strong anti-incumbency, RJD - Bihar's main opposition has lost the lusture it once had due to the absence of it's chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.  Currently, the JDU-BJP combination rules the state with 131 seats, while RJD-Congress opposition has 111 seats.

However, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav has been amplifying his attack against the BJP government and has been portrayed as the CM candidate of the Mahagathbandhan. Meanwhile, former JDU vice president Prashant Kishor has also claimed that he is working at 'ground level' for the development of Bihar.  In a twist of sorts, London-based Pushpam Priya Choudhary, the daughter of JDU leader Binod Choudhary, on March 8 declared herself as the Chief Ministerial candidate.

Bihar Minister Shyam Rajak likely to join RJD ahead of Assembly polls

2015 state polls

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.