PATNA: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) suffered a significant blow on Sunday as two of its MLAs resigned ahead of the Bihar polls amid speculation that they could join CM Nitish Kumar’s JD(U). Vibha Devi, the RJD MLA from Nawada and Prakash Veer, the MLA from Rajauli, submitted their resignations to Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav, severing ties with the party.
The resignations came after RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s departure to Delhi and have further deepened the internal strife within the party. The RJD is grappling with contentious seat-sharing arrangements and growing discontent among party workers and leaders.
Devi’s husband Raj Ballabh Yadav was a former MLA and recently walked out of jail, following an acquittal by the Patna High Court in a POCSO case for which he spent several years behind bars. Devi had won the seat in the 2020 elections on an RJD ticket, and her resignation is seen as a major loss for the party in the Nawada region, where her family holds significant influence.