Senior Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh on Thursday resigned from the party, The Indian Express reported. Singh had quit as the vice president of the party in June.

His resignation came ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. However, the Election Commission is yet to announce an official date for the polls.

Singh is currently being treated for complications from the coronavirus in an intensive care unit of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi. In a hand-written note to party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Singh announced his resignation and sought “forgiveness”. “After [former Bihar Chief Minister] Karpuri Thakur’s death, I stood behind you for 32 years but no more,” he wrote. He had been with the RJD since its inception in 1997, NDTV reported.

Advertisement

However, Yadav wrote a letter to Singh, saying: “We will talk once you are well. You are not going anywhere.” He added that he could not believe Singh had written such a letter, NDTV reported.

Singh was displeased after Tejashwi Yadav took helm of the party following the imprisonment of Lalu Yadav on corruption charges in the fodder scam. In a letter to the party in June, Singh had said he was not happy with the people being taken into the party fold. At the time, five of the eight Rashtriya Janata Dal members in the Rajya Sabha had also quit and joined the Janata Dal (United).

Further, reports suggested that Singh was upset with the attempts of former MP Ramakishore Singh to join the party. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Ramakishore Singh defeated Raghuvansh Singh from Vaishali, Bihar.

Advertisement

Unidentified officials told NDTV that Singh may join the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United). Leaders of the ruling party in Bihar have said that Singh was most welcome to join if he wishes to do so, The Hindu reported.

RJD leaders have not commented on Singh’s resignation.