In a setback to the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) ahead of the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, several of its senior leaders and workers joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday during an induction ceremony at the BJP's state office in Patna, ANI reported.
Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi formally inducted the new members into the party.
Among those who joined the BJP were former Digha candidate Bittu Singh, mayoral candidate Vineeta Bittu, Kumhrar candidate KC Sinha and Maner candidate Gopal Singh. A large number of Jan Suraaj workers also joined the party.
Welcoming the new entrants, Saraogi said they had been inspired by the BJP's policies and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Many Jan Suraj leaders have joined the party, inspired by the BJP's policies and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All the new members will work to further strengthen the organisation, and the BJP family welcomes them," he said.
After joining the BJP, Bittu Singh declared his commitment to the party.
"I will not leave the BJP now; I will live and die here," he said, expressing faith in the BJP's ideology and leadership and pledging to work with full dedication.
Taking a swipe at Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, Gopal Singh alleged that the party lacked direction.
"There is no vision there. An arrogant person cannot run an organisation," he said, describing the BJP as a strong organisation and promising to work towards strengthening it.
Reacting to the induction, the Bihar BJP said on X, "This large-scale joining of the party symbolises the NDA government's resolve to build a prosperous Bihar and a developed India. A warm welcome and greetings to all the esteemed public representatives who have joined the BJP family."
According to ANI, the development comes ahead of the high-stakes Bankipur Assembly by-election on July 30, where Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor is taking on BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha.
Kishor is seeking to end the BJP's winning streak in the constituency. The seat fell vacant after four-term BJP MLA Nitin Nabin was elected to the Rajya Sabha, necessitating the bypoll.
(With inputs from PTI)