PATNA: Mrityunjay Tiwari, who recently quit the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD to join the BJP, on Wednesday claimed the opposition party was heading for a major split, with 15 to 16 of its 25 MLAs potentially leaving.
Tiwari alleged growing discontent within the RJD and claimed several legislators were unhappy with the party's leadership and functioning. He asserted that the RJD had been reduced to a party with “neither policy, leadership nor an effective organisation”.
Tiwari's claim comes amid repeated assertions by BJP leaders that opposition legislators are in touch with the ruling alliance in the state.
In December 2025, BJP leader Ram Kripal Yadav had claimed that all 25 RJD MLAs were in contact with the BJP.
Tiwari, who was a key RJD spokesperson, resigned from the party last month, accusing its leadership of ignoring his grievances and failing to take corrective action. He subsequently joined the BJP and has since launched increasingly sharp attacks on his former party.
Tiwari alleged that the RJD no longer had a leadership capable of retaining the confidence of its workers and legislators.
He questioned why MLAs and cadres would remain with the party if their concerns continued to be ignored. “RJD me karyakarta ki koi puchh nahi hai (nobody takes care of workers in RJD),” he said.
Tiwari also flagged the challenge posed by the AIMIM, alleging that Asaduddin Owaisi's party had dented the RJD's Muslim vote base in the last two assembly elections.
AIMIM currently has five MLAs in the Bihar Assembly, compared with the RJD's 25.
The division of opposition votes, Tiwari said, could further complicate the RJD's electoral prospects.
In the recently held by-election in Bankipur, Muslims voted in favour of Jan Suraaj party candidate Prashant Kishor, which remains a concern for the RJD leadership.
Tiwari's statement came at a time when two senior RJD leaders — Bhai Birendra and Shakti Singh Yadav — are engaged in a verbal duel, accusing each other of contributing to the party's poor electoral performance.
Birendra is the MLA from Maner, while Yadav is an RJD spokesperson.
Birendra accused Yadav of “attempting to hijack party” with a certain group of leaders. Yadav, meanwhile, said Birendra's contribution to the party was zero despite winning elections several times on an RJD symbol.