Former RJD women's wing state president Ritu Jaiswal joined the BJP at the party office in Bihar's Patna on Tuesday in the presence of BJP Bihar president Sanjay Sarawagi. The move came after she announced her decision in a social media post, in which she described politics as “a means of service, responsibility, and ideology, not display”.
Notably, Jaiswal turned rebellious against the RJD after she was denied a ticket from the seat of her choice during last year's Bihar assembly elections. Following this, she chose to contest the election as an Independent candidate from the Parihar constituency.
Ritu Jaiswal joins BJP
The former head of the RJD women's formally became part of the ruling BJP in Patna on Tuesday.
After joining the party, she told news agency PTI, “When you look at things through only one lens, you see only one side. But I feel proud that the Prime Minister does not wear any such lens.”
Before joining the party, she shared a post on X announcing her decision. In the post, she said politics for her is “a means of service, responsibility, and ideology, not display”.
{{/usCountry}}Before joining the party, she shared a post on X announcing her decision. In the post, she said politics for her is “a means of service, responsibility, and ideology, not display”.
{{/usCountry}}She wrote, “At present, the country is navigating through numerous challenges and sensitive circumstances. The Honorable Prime Minister has also laid special emphasis on conserving energy and fuel. In such times, I believe that unnecessary crowds, long processions, and ostentation are not appropriate.
For me, politics is a means of service, responsibility, and ideology, not display. Service to society and the nation can be performed with complete dedication only through simplicity, sensitivity, and a spirit of public welfare.”
“Therefore, I humbly request all of you, wherever you may be, to extend your blessings, good wishes, and support from there itself. If you have already decided to attend the programme, please use public transport or shared vehicles as much as possible, so that unnecessary fuel can be saved, and together we can demonstrate responsible citizenship,” she added.
Why Ritu Jaiswal turned RJD rebel
She took a rebellious stance after failing to secure a ticket from Parihar during last year's assembly elections. After that, she contested the elections as an Independent candidate.
In a Facebook post, she had disappointment over the RJD's decision to nominate Smita Purve Gupta, the daughter-in-law of former party president Ramchandra Purve. She held Purve responsible for her defeat from the same constituency in the 2020 assembly elections.
She had served as the state president of the RJD women's wing and also worked as the party's national spokesperson between 2021 and 2023.
She had also contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Sheohar. However, she was defeated by JD(U) candidate Lovely Anand by a margin of fewer than 30,000 votes.
In October last year, was expelled from the RJD for for “anti-party” activities during the elections.
Jaiswal is married to former civil servant Arun Kumar, who left government service and later became Mukhiya of Singhwahini Panchayat in Sitamarhi. The post had earlier been held by Ritu.