JD(U) suffers setback as two leaders quit to join Prashant Kishors Jan Suraaj Party

PATNA: Janata Dal (United), led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, suffered a setback on Friday when two of its prominent leaders, Dasai Choudhary and Bhuvan Patel, resigned from the party and joined the Jan Suraaj Party founded by Prashant Kishor, ahead of the assembly elections. Dasai Choudhary, a former minister and MP, and Bhuvan Patel, a state working committee member of JD(U) associated with Nitish since the Samta Party days, formally joined the Jan Suraaj Party in the presence of its national president Uday Singh alias Pappu Singh. Both leaders clarified that they were not joining the party with the intention of contesting elections but because they felt sidelined within JD(U). JD(U) is run by a coterie of leaders due to Nitishs poor health condition, they said, adding that committed workers were being neglected by the top leadership, which would eventually harm the organisation. Now we will work for Jan Suraaj Party and strengthen the hands of Prashant Kishor, who has vowed to change Bihars future, they added. Meanwhile, the Jan Suraaj Party unveiled its election blueprint, announcing plans to contest all 243 assembly seats. National president Uday Singh said the first phase of the candidate selection process, held between August 2 and 22, had helped assess the partys strengths and weaknesses. He said candidates would be chosen based on feedback from the panchayat and block levels, with preference given to those who contributed to building the Jan Suraaj movement. On the question of Prashant Kishor contesting, Singh said, He is our biggest sutradhar. If he contests, he will be tied to one constituency. The party will take a decision on this later. Responding to media queries, Singh said tickets would be announced around Navratri, beginning September 22, ruling out an immediate declaration. He also criticised former IAS officer Manish Kumar Verma, who recently joined JD(U), citing his controversial tenure as Patna district magistrate during the 2014 Dussehra stampede and allegations of corruption.