The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Monday expelled 27 leaders, including two MLAs, for activities allegedly against the party and candidates named by the Opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance for the Assembly elections in Bihar, reported PTI.
The party’s state unit chief, Mangani Lal Mandal, stated that the leaders had been expelled for six years and also suspended from the RJD’s primary membership.
The Assembly elections will be held on November 6 and November 11, and the votes will be counted on November 14.
The Mahagathbandhan alliance comprises the RJD, the Congress, three Left parties, the Vikassheel Insaan Party and the Indian Inclusive Party.
Among the legislators RJD has expelled is Chhote Lal Rai, the MLA from Parsa constituency in Saran district. Rai had won the seat in 2020 by a margin of more than 17,000 votes against Janata Dal (United)’s Chandrika Roy. The Janata Dal (United) has fielded him from the same seat for the upcoming polls, reported The Times of India.
Another MLA is Mohammad Kamran, who represents the Gobindpur constituency in Nawada district in the state Assembly.
Former legislators Ram Prakash Mahto from Katihar, Anil Sahni from Muzaffarpur, Saroj Yadav from Badhara and Anil Yadav from Narpatganj are also among those expelled.
The party’s state president for women, Ritu Jaiswal, is also on the list, reported The Hindu.
Jaiswal has filed her nomination as an Independent candidate from the Parihar constituency of Sitamarhi district after being denied a ticket by the RJD.
Punam Devi Gupta, women’s cell district president from Motihari, has also been expelled, The Indian Express reported.
Other senior leaders on the list are Surendra Prasad Yadav, a state general secretary from Senpur in Saran district and Anil Chandra Kushwaha, a state general secretary from Vaishali, according to the newspaper.
The action came days after the Janata Dal (United) expelled 16 of its leaders, including a sitting MLA and two former ministers.
Most of those removed from the party are slated to contest the upcoming elections against candidates from the National Democratic Alliance, of which the Janata Dal (United) is a part.
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