PATNA: Even as Bihar battles Covid-19, its politics in the run-up to the impending polls remains as lively as ever: defections began on Monday as four sitting MLAs, including a minister in Nitish Kumar-led government, switched sides.
On the other side of the political divide, three RJD MLAs, including two who were expelled on Sunday from the party, joined the JD-U.
After his sacking as Minister of Industries and ouster from the party, Shayam Rajak (JD-U MLA from Phulwarisharif) returned to the RJD. Rajak repeatedly recalled his RJD days fondly and let it be known that he would work for social justice under the leadership of Lalu Prasad’s son Tejashwi Yadav. Rajak had joined the JD-U in 2009, but fell out of favour.
He said most JD-U leaders were unhappy with “anti-Dalit” Nitish, but they did not have the courage to go against his autocratic style of functioning.