JD(U) setback: former MP leaves Nitish party to join Lalu

A big blow was dealt to the governing National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar by former Darbhanga MP Mohammad Ali Asaraf Fatmi’s resignation from all party positions on Tuesday, just one month before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Kumar is the chief minister of Bihar and leads the Janata Dal (United). He served as JD(U)’s national general secretary.

Former federal minister Fatmi handed JD(U) president Nitish Kumar a resignation letter, stating that he was leaving all JD(U) positions due to his commitment to moral principles. On March 20, he is anticipated to join Lalu Prasad’s RJD and might run for the Lok Sabha seats in Darbhanga or Madhabani.

In the Mithilanchal area, which includes the districts of Madhubani and Darbhanga, Fatmi has enormous political influence. The announcement of seat-sharing deals among NDA members in New Delhi on Monday was followed by this development on Tuesday. According to the terms of the seat-sharing agreement, the BJP would run for 17 seats, JD(U) for 16, LJP (Ram Vilas) for five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha, headed by Upendra, a former federal minister, for one seat apiece. Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and his Hindustani Awam Morcha would vie for one seat annually.

According to sources, Nitish Kumar’s alliance with the BJP to establish a new Bihar administration has left Fatmi uneasy. The BJP has been allocated the Darbhanga Lok Sabha seat under the seat-sharing agreements for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

CM puts up a tough front.

Nitish Kumar is said to have suffered a significant blow with Fatmi’s departure before to the Lok Sabha elections. However, JD(U) said that Fatmi’s leaving the party will not have an impact on polling chances. Following Lalan Singh’s resignation, Nitish Kumar took over as the party’s national president, and he was appointed national general secretary of JD(U).