PATNA: Bihar JD (U) spokesman Nikhil Mandal on Monday resigned from his party position by citing personal reasons.
Mandal, grandson of BP Mandal, has been holding the post of state JD (U) spokesperson since 2016. He was known for presenting chief minister Nitish Kumar's policies and articulating the party line in the media effectively. He was also considered one of the most popular spokespersons in the JD (U).
Although Mandal cited personal reasons for his resignation from the party post, some political reasons are also attributed to it.
Before announcing his decision to resign from his party post, Mandal also shared a post on social media, expressing his wish to spend more time in Madhepura in north Bihar, his native place. He has been spending the majority of his time in Madhepura and it is also speculated that he is keen to contest the next Lok Sabha election from there. Mandal had contested the last Bihar assembly election on the JD (U) ticket from Madhepura but was defeated by RJD leader Prof Chandrashekhar, presently the education minister of Bihar.
Mandal was also reportedly feeling uncomfortable with JD (U) entering into an alliance with RJD to form the government. He has also been a strong critic of the Lalu family and was finding it difficult to defend the family in the media after new political realignment in the state.