Photo Credit: The Suncity News
Patna, March 24, 2024: Rupauli MLA Bima Bharti, who quit the Janata Dal (United) JD(U) on Saturday and formally joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has made it clear that she will not resign from her assembly seat.
“I have resigned from JD(U) and joined RJD, but I will not resign from the post of MLA. If they want to take action against me, go ahead. I am not bothered about it,” Bharti told reporters on Sunday.
Reasons for the exit of Bima Bharti:
Bharti, who belongs to the Extremely Backward Caste (EBC) community, claimed she had no personal issue with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar but alleged that bureaucrats and ministers around him were obstructing her work.
“They do not want a person belonging to EBC to meet the Chief Minister,” she said.
2024 Lok Sabha equation:
On contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Bharti said the decision lies with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav.
“If he gives me a ticket from Purnea, I will contest,” she stated.
Interestingly, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who recently merged his Jan Adhikar Party into the Congress, has also declared his intention to contest from Purnea. Bharti, however, downplayed the brewing clash, saying, “Congress is part of Mahagathbandhan. The matter is between RJD and Congress. I will follow the decision of our national president.”
Background of Bima Bharti:
Bima Bharti was elected on a JD(U) ticket from Rupauli (Purnea district) in 2020. She quit JD(U) after being sidelined within the party, especially when her rival Leshi Singh was inducted into the cabinet.
Her move is seen as a major political shift in the Seemanchal region, with potential to alter caste equations ahead of 2024.
Also Read: JD-U MLA Bima Bharti resigned from the primary membership of the party.
EOM.