PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) initiated disciplinary action against its 16 rebel leaders ahead of state assembly elections.
A sitting MLA and two former MLAs are among the leaders who have been expelled from the party. Most of the leaders are contesting the election against candidates of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), of which JD(U) is a part of.
The suspended leaders have been accused of being involved in anti-party activities and violating the party’s ideology. Prominent among those who have been expelled are Gopalpur MLA Narendra Niraj alias Gopal Mandal, former MLC Sanjeev Shyam Singh and former minister Hemraj Singh.
Gopal Mandal staged a dharna outside the chief minister’s residence in Patna after he learned that the party was planning to drop him from the seat. He became more vocal after JD(U) fielded Bulo Mandal, a former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader from Gopalpur.
Later, Gopal Mandal filed his nomination as an Independent candidate from the same seat. After filing his nomination, Gopal appealed to the electorate to vote for him as he was a true follower of JD(U) ideology. Gopal Mandal also expressed his faith in Nitish Kumar’s leadership. However, it did not cut ice.
Bulo Mandal filed his nomination from the Gopalpur seat. “I have already launched my election campaign,” said Bulo Mandal.
Sanjeev Shyam Singh is fighting from the Gurua assembly seat in Gaya district as a candidate of Jan Suraaj Party. Similarly, Hemraj Singh is contesting the election from Katihar in the Seemanchal region as an Independent candidate.
Two other MLAs against whom disciplinary action has been initiated are—Maheshwar Prasad Yadav and his aide Prabhat Kiran. Both the leaders had criticised the JD(U) top leadership over the distribution of tickets in the upcoming assembly elections.
Yadav, a former MLA, came out in the open against Komal Singh, who has been fielded from the Gaighat seat in Muzaffarpur district. The expulsions were announced in two separate communications issued, one on late Saturday and the other on Sunday.
Earlier on Saturday, JD(U) expelled 11 leaders, including former minister Shailesh Kumar. Others include Sanjay Singh, former MLC, Shyam Bahadur Singh, former MLA, Ranvijay Singh, former MLC, MLA Sudarshan Kumar, Ashma Parveen, Amar Kumar Singh Luv Kumar, Divyanshu Bhardwaj, Asha Suman and Vivek Shukla.
Meanwhile, former MLA Jai Kumar Singh has also expressed his displeasure over the selection of candidates for the 2025 assembly elections.
Jai is contesting the election from Dinara as an Independent while Sudarshan Kumar is pitted against JD(U) nominee Pushpanjay Kumar on the Barbigha seat in Sheikhpura district.
