Sarfaraz Alam creates political heat in Bihar after leaving JD(U), joins RJD
The Bihar by-election will be the 1st electoral test for Nitish after he snapped ties with Grand Secular Alliance and formed govt with BJP.
Patna: The political temperature in Bihar shot up after JD (U) MLA Sarfaraz Alam resigned and joined hands with the RJD on Saturday.
The development is being seen as a major setback for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who is trying to expand party’s political base in Bihar, especially among the Minorities and Mahadalits.
Speculation is rife that Sarfaraz Alam may contest Araria by-elections which fell vacant in September 2017 after the demise of his father and veteran RJD leader Mohammad Taslimuddin.
Political analysts say that his resignation may impact the minority vote base in the Seemanchal region where Muslims have a maximum representation. Mohammad Taslimuddin had won the Araria seat in 2014 by a margin of two lakh votes.
Talking to reporters in Patna after his resignation, Sarfaraz Alam said that he had been under pressure to leave JD (U) after the collapse of the Grand Secular Alliance. He said that his voters and family members wanted him to join a secular party.
“I contested elections from JD (U) ticket in 2015 because it was part of the Grand Secular Alliance but after Nitish Kumar joined hands with the BJP people felt betrayed,” Sarfaraz Alam told reporters after he joined the RJD on Saturday in Patna.
The Bihar by-election will be the first electoral test for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after he snapped ties with the Grand Secular Alliance and formed a government with BJP in July 2017.
The election is also being seen as a test for Tejaswi Yadav who is heading the party in the absence of his father Lalu Yadav.
According to RJD leader Shivanand Tiwary, "There are several others who may leave the NDA soon as they are not feeling comfortable".
The senior RJD leader also referred to the statement of Hindustani Awam Morcha Chief Jitan Ram Manjhi who had earlier demanded a ticket for his party from Jehanabad seat which fell vacant after the demise of RJD leader Mundrika Singh Yadav.
Manjhi had also warned the NDA of withdrawing support "if Nitish Kumar failed to implement decisions taken by him when he was the Chief Minister of Bihar".