JD(U) expels 16 leaders, including sitting MLA ahead of Bihar polls

Patna: The Janata Dal (United) has expelled 16 of its leaders including a sitting MLA accusing them of engaging in anti-party activities, Scroll reported.

The internal issues in the party have come to fore less than two weeks before the Assembly polls.

Most of those expelled from the party are likely to run for assembly polls against the candidates of NDA of which JD(U) is a part.

Gopalpur MLA Narendra Niraj alias Gopal Mandal, former Member of Legislative Council Sanjeev Shyam Singh and former minister Himraj Singh are among those the party showed the door.

Gopal Mandal protested outside JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar’s residence in Patna recently after knowing that he would be left out of the party’s list of candidates.

Mandal filed nomination as an independent candidate after JD(U) fielded Buno Mandal, a former Rashtriya Janata Dal leader for Gopalpur constituency.

Sanjeev Shyam Singh is now a candidate of Prashant Kishor’s party, Jan Suraaj for the Gurua constituency in Gaya district. Meanwhile, Himraj Singh has entered the fray from Katihar as an Independent candidate.

Two other leaders expelled from the JD(U), former MLA Maheshwar Prasad Yadav and his supporter Prabhat Kiran, expressed displeasure at the party’s decision to field Komal Singh for the Gaighat seat in Muzaffarpur district.

The Assembly elections will be held on November 6 and November 11, and the votes will be counted on November 14.