Two RJD MLAs Resign Before Bihar Elections: Potential Move to Nitish Kumar's JD(U)

Two Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislators, Vibha Devi and Prakash Veer, submitted their resignations from the Bihar state assembly on Sunday, fueling speculation about their potential shift to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) before the upcoming Bihar elections.

Devi, who represented the Nawada constituency, and Veer, the legislator from Rajauli, formally presented their resignation letters to Assembly Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav, who promptly accepted them, according to assembly officials.

The political move follows their notable appearance at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Gayaji on August 22, which had already sparked rumors about their possible defection to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) camp ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections.

In a significant backstory, Vibha Devi's husband, Raj Ballabh Yadav, a former legislator, was recently released from prison after the Patna High Court acquitted him in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case that had kept him incarcerated for several years. Raj Ballabh Yadav, who wields considerable political influence in Nawada district, reportedly became discontented when the RJD denied election tickets to his family members during last year's Lok Sabha elections. Subsequently, his brother Binod Yadav severed ties with the RJD and contested the Nawada Lok Sabha seat as an Independent candidate.

Prakash Veer, serving his second consecutive term from a constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes, is believed to have fallen out of favor with Tejashwi Yadav, who is the son and apparent heir to RJD president Lalu Prasad.