RJD's Shyam Rajak says 17 JD(U) MLAs in touch with party, says 'they're miffed with BJP'

A day after RJD offered Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to join Mahagathbandhan and enter national politics, another RJD leader Shyam Rajak has said that as many as 17 RJD MLAs are in touch with Tejashwi Yadav-led party. Rajak claimed that all the 17 MLAs wanted to join RJD but was denied entry as Lalu Prasad Yadav's party doesn't want to resort to unconstitutional means. Citing anti-defection laws, Rajak said that if 25 to 26 legislators from JD(U) will join the party, then their membership will be accepted. The RJD leader claimed that JD(U) MLAs are unhappy about the way BJP was asserting itself on Nitish Kumar. This assumes significance as Kumar has resigned from the post of JD(U) president. 

"17 JD(U) legislators are in touch with RJD through me. They are desperate to join RJD at the earliest but we have stopped them as they will lose their membership due to anti-defection law," said Rajak. "If 25 to 26 legislators from JD(U) join our party, their membership will not get terminated as anti-defection law will not come into play. Soon this is going to happen," Rajak added.

RJD had on Tuesday urged Nitish to leave NDA and return to the Mahagatbandhan citing BJP's alleged contempt for small parties. Previously, RJD veteran Shivanand Tiwari had said that JD(U) was facing issues with the way BJP was behaving. Commenting on the recent switch of 6 of 7 JD(U) MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh to BJP, Tiwari had said that 'Nitish Kumar can calculate BJP's next step, it is hatching a conspiracy'.

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Speaking to the media, RJD leader Uday Narayan Choudhary had claimed that the JP Nadda-led party wanted to finish JD(U) and highlighted Arunachal Pradesh as an example. Moreover, he predicted that LJP president Chirag Paswan shall be inducted into the Union Cabinet soon to trouble Nitish Kumar. While contesting alone in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly polls, LJP continued to praise PM Modi and targeted the ex-JD(U)'s performance as CM. Moreover, RJD contended that Kumar should play a key role in the Opposition in national politics. 

READ | RJD Asks Nitish To Quit NDA & Make Tejashwi CM, Claims 'BJP To Make Paswan Union Minister'

JD(U)'s reduced clout

The 2020 Bihar Assembly election witnessed a voter turnout of 57.05 per cent as against that of 56.66 per cent in the 2015 polls. The polls turned out to be a nail-biting contest with NDA emerging victorious in 125 seats as against that of 110 seats won by the Mahagatbandhan. BJP, RJD, JD(U), Congress won 74, 75, 43, and 19 seats respectively. BJP winning more seats than JD(U) for the first time in a Bihar Assembly election led to the speculation that JD(U)'s clout in the alliance will reduce. LJP is believed to have damaged JD(U)'s prospects in 32 seats despite bagging a solitary seat.

While Kumar again took oath as the CM of Bihar, BJP has two Deputy CMs in 4-time MLAs Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi. Kumar's recent revelation that BJP pressurised him to become the Chief Minister set the rumour mills abuzz. While acknowledging that the ex-JD(U) chief didn't want to become the CM, BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi opined that Kumar was convinced to take up the post as he was the face of the coalition in the polls. 

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READ | RJD says 'BJP hatching conspiracy'; extols Nitish's ability 'to calculate next move'