PATNA: The main Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday suffered a major setback ahead of the Bihar assembly elections after former MP Anil Sahni resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of senior leaders, including Union Minister and Bihar election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan.
Sahni’s name had figured in the RJD’s list of 40 star campaigners for the upcoming elections. A former MLA from Kurhani assembly seat, Sahni was reportedly upset with the party leadership after his son was denied a ticket from the constituency. The RJD has fielded Babloo Kushwaha as its candidate from Kurhani in Muzaffarpur district.
After joining the BJP, Sahni accused the RJD of doing injustice to people belonging to Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs). He alleged that dedicated party workers were being sidelined, while new entrants were being given tickets for the polls, leading to resentment among grassroots cadres.
Sahni had contested the 2020 assembly election from Kurhani on an RJD ticket and won by defeating Kedar Prasad Gupta of the BJP. However, he was later debarred from contesting elections after being convicted in a forged air-ticket scandal probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In the 2022 bypoll, BJP’s Kedar Prasad Gupta won the seat.
Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal welcomed Sahni into the party, saying his induction would strengthen the BJP’s support base in Muzaffarpur and adjoining districts. Former MLA Asha Devi also joined the BJP along with Sahni.