JD-U MLA from Parbatta Sanjeev Kumar joins RJD ahead of Bihar assembly polls

Sanjeev Kumar is son of former JD-U minister Ramanand Prasad Singh, who represented the Parbatta assembly seat four times

KHAGARIA: A Janata Dal-United (JD-U) lawmaker from Khagaria district Sanjeev Kumar joined the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Friday.

JD-U MLA Sanjeev Kumar (X/DrSanjeev0121)

Sanjeev Kumar, a first-time legislator from Parbatta, is son of former JD-U minister Ramanand Prasad Singh, who represented the assembly seat four times before stepping aside in 2020 to make way for Kumar.

RJD leader and leader of opposition in the assembly Tejashwi Yadav joined the event organised at Bhagwan High Court on Friday afternoon via video conference. Party leaders said he was to travel to the district for the function in person but didn’t make it due to rain.

The JD-U insisted that Sanjeev Kumar’s exit would not impact the party and cited the crowds at a programme organised during chief minister Nitish Kumar’s visit to the district on September 27.

Kumar, a JD-U leader said, had only won the seat in the 2020 elections by a narrow margin of 1,000 votes and may not have been fielded from the seat in the coming elections. “He took the decision in frustration,” he said.

Political observers said there would be some impact on the seat because Kumar’s family has good clout in his community and his decision to switch to the RJD would help change perceptions about the RJD.