JDU Suspends 11 Leaders From Primary Membership for Anti-Party Activities in Bihar
JDU expels 11 leaders, including a former minister, for anti-party activities ahead of Bihar assembly elections.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) expelled 11 senior leaders on Saturday for anti-party activities, just ten days before the state heads to crucial assembly polls. The purge, which includes a former minister, two former MLAs, and two former MLCs, was announced in a formal statement by JDU state general secretary Chandan Kumar Singh. The party also suspended the individuals from primary membership, citing their defiance of official candidates and the broader NDA alliance strategy.
The expelled leaders are former minister Shailesh Kumar, ex-MLAs Shyam Bahadur Singh and Sudharshan Kumar, and former MLCs Sanjay Prasad and Ranvijay Singh. A senior JDU functionary told reporters that these individuals had been openly campaigning against party-nominated candidates and NDA partners in several constituencies. “They were defying our ideology and working to sabotage our electoral prospects,” the leader said, emphasising that disciplinary action was unavoidable.
The move comes as the 243-member Bihar assembly prepares for a two-phase election on November 6 and 11, with results scheduled for November 14. The JDU, in coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is defending its incumbency against the opposition Mahagathbandhan led by Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Internal dissent, especially from veteran leaders with local influence, posed a direct threat to seat-sharing arrangements and voter consolidation.
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Nitish Kumar, known for his pragmatic yet authoritarian control over the JDU, has a history of swift purges before elections to maintain discipline. The expulsions signal a clear message: loyalty to the official line is non-negotiable. While the action strengthens centralised command, it risks alienating pockets of traditional JDU support in rural and semi-urban strongholds where the ousted leaders held sway.
As campaigning enters its final stretch, both alliances are intensifying outreach. The NDA is banking on development narratives and Kumar’s administrative record, while the opposition highlights unemployment, migration, and governance fatigue. With the expulsions now public, the JDU will need to quickly fill leadership voids at the grassroots to prevent vote fragmentation—especially in closely contested seats where rebel candidates could play spoiler.
