Updated September 13th, 2022 at 08:37 IST
Nitish suffers fresh setback after NDA exit as 15 JDU Daman-Diu Panchayat members join BJP
Bihar CM and JDU leader Nitish Kumar suffered yet another setback when the Daman and Diu unit of his party joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday.
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After five Manipur Janata Dal (United) (JDU) MLAs switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar and a former NDA partner, suffered yet another setback when the Daman and Diu unit of his party joined the saffron party on September 12.
In addition to this, 15 out of 17 panchayat members of the Daman-Diu also joined the saffron party on Monday. Taking a swipe at the JDU supremo Nitish Kumar, the BJP said that the JDU's Daman-Diu leaders joined the saffron party against the Bihar CM's decision to leave the BJP.
"5 out of 17 district panchayat members of JDU of Daman and Diu and the entire unit of state JDU joined the BJP today against Nitish Kumar's decision to leave the BJP which had given impetus to development in Bihar and to choose the 'Bahubali', corrupt and a dynastic party," BJP tweeted in Hindi.
नितीश कुमार द्वारा बिहार में विकास को गति देने वाली भाजपा का साथ छोड़कर बाहुबली, भ्रष्ट एवं परिवारवादी पार्टी का साथ देने के विरोध में दानह एवं दमन दीव के जेडीयू के 17 में से 15 जिला पंचायत सदस्य एवं प्रदेश जेडीयू की पूरी ईकाई आज भाजपा में शामिल हुई। pic.twitter.com/YXn3WhxEKR
— BJP (@BJP4India)
JDU spokesperson resigns from the post; BJP claims discomfort in defending Nitish
On Monday, JDU spokesperson Nikhil Mandal resigned from the post he had held for more than six years, citing "personal reasons". Reacting to this development, the BJP claimed that Mandal faced "discomfort" in defending Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JDU's de facto leader, PTI reported.
इस 6 साल 7 महीने और 12 दिन में मुझे तमाम मीडिया के साथीगण से अपार प्यार और सम्मान मिला, जिसके लिए मैं आप सभी को दिल से धन्यवाद देता हूँ। pic.twitter.com/VnKrL0sJ5R
— Nikhil Mandal (@nikhilmandalJDU)
Bihar BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand issued a statement on this development and wondered whether JDU spokespersons were "in a state of discomfort having to defend the Mahagathbandhan which has the RJD as its ally".
5 of 6 JDU MLAs in Manipur joined BJP
On September 2, Manipur Assembly Secretary K Meghajit Singh informed that Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh had accepted the merger of the five JD(U) MLAs with BJP-led NDA under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution of India.
The five JD(U) MLAs who merged with BJP include Khumukcham Joykisan Singh, Ngursanglur Sanate (Tipaimukh), Mohammed Achab Uddin (Jiribam), Thangjam Arunkumar (Wangkhei) and LM Khaute. The sixth JD(U) legislator who did not deflect to the BJP is Mohammed Nasir, MLA from the Lilong constituency.
Notably, in August, CM Nitish Kumar severed ties with the NDA and formed the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar along with RJD, Congress and the Left bloc. After breaking the alliance with the BJP, the JDU's de facto chief is trying to stitch Opposition unity in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. During his recent Delhi visit, Kumar said that the Opposition's only choice is to show a united front, "which will be in the interest of the country".
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Published September 13th, 2022 at 07:19 IST