Big jolt to Lalu's RJD ahead of Bihar polls as Raghuvansh Prasad Singh resigns from party

In another big jolt to Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD ahead of Bihar elections, senior party leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has resigned from the party. Ailing Raghuvansh Prasad is currently admitted at AIIMS Delhi, and had been vocal about the lack of leadership in RJD in the absence of Lalu. He has tendered his resignation and said that "he has been with the party since the demise of Karpuri Thakur but now he is quitting." He thanked the party workers for their love and support and added that they should 'forgive him for he is leaving the party now'. 

This comes days after Raghuvansh Prasad opposed the induction of muscleman and former LJP MP Rama Singh into the party. He was then criticised by Lalu's son Tej Pratap Yadav. As the poll season in Bihar is set to arrive in the midst of floods and COVID-19 pandemic, Tej Pratap Yadav was reprimanded by his father Lalu, and was told to avoid making remarks on senior party leaders. 

READ | Tej Pratap meets Lalu; calls Raghuvansh Prasad his 'chacha' after father's scolding

Tej Pratap vs Raghuvansh Prasad Singh

Tej Pratap Yadav had earlier made castigating remarks against the former union minister Singh, over his resignation from RJD's vice president post. Tej Pratap Yadav had said: "RJD is an ocean and Singh is like a mug of water of it whose coming/going will have no impact on the party." However, after meeting Lalu, Tej Pratap retracted from his comments and described Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who was one of the key confidants of Lalu in the wee days of RJD, as 'chacha' against whom he bore no ill-feeling. Tej Pratap also faces trouble as sources hinted that his estranged wife Aishwarya Rai (daughter of Chandrika Rai) might enter the poll fray from his current seat - Mahua constituency.

Previously, RJD suffered a major blow after Lalu's long time friend and samdhi (Tej Pratap's father-in-law) Chandrika Rai along with 5 others quit the party. Moreover, Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM(S) pulled out of Mahagathbandhan and rejoined the NDA. The assembly polls this year is crucial for the RJD as it drew blank in the Lok Sabha polls. It is also significant because this is the first assembly elections in Bihar which will not witness the quintessential Lalu style of campaigning and his crowd-puller jibes.

READ | Bihar polls: Tej Pratap Yadav kicks off election campaign with massive rally in Hasanpur

Tej Pratap's new seat Hasanpur?

Kickstarting his poll campaign, RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav held a massive rally in Bihar's Hasanpur Vishan Sabha constituency, completely flouting the guidelines of social distancing amid COVID-19 pandemic. Sources have said that Lalu Prasad's son Tej Pratap is likely to contest from Hasanpur constituency amid speculations that his estranged wife Aishwarya Rai would contest from his current Mahua seat.  In the video, Tej Pratap's followers can be seen behind his car, capturing his video and following his cavalcade while the RJD leader waved at them.

READ | Before Bihar elections, Digvijaya Singh goads Paswans to join Congress amid LJP-JDU tussle

Bihar Elections 2020

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Bihar is all set to go to polls for a 243-member assembly seat in October-November. The Election Commission has issued directives to conduct election amid COVID, however, the dates are yet to be announced. In the 2015 assembly polls, CM Nitish Kumar's JDU, then a part of the Mahagathbandhan won 71 seats, Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD won 80 seats, and Congress won 27 seats. The BJP which fought the elections alone after Kumar in 2013 broke the 17-year-old alliance won a mere 53 seats out of 157 contested. However, the saffron party came back to power when Kumar ditched the Mahagathbandhan and once again stitched an alliance with the BJP.

READ | Nitish's JDU & Paswan's LJP's war-of-words escalates before Bihar polls; BJP tight-lipped