In another setback for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar, Bharat Bind, the legislator from Bhabhua, has switched sides and joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The political shift took place on Friday during the state assembly session, where Bind aligned himself with the ruling coalition. While it’s confirmed that he has joined the NDA, his specific party affiliation within the coalition remains unclear.
Bharat Bind, accompanied by BJP state president and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, made his presence felt in the assembly during the budget session’s final day. After a brief stay in the ruling party’s camp, he returned to the chamber and then proceeded back to Samrat Chaudhary’s cabin.
This development adds to the ongoing trend of legislators leaving the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar. Since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar formed the government with the NDA on January 28, there has been a continuous stream of defections from opposition parties. Bharat Bind’s switch follows the pattern set by three RJD legislators on the floor test day and two more on February 27 from Congress and RJD. On the last day of the budget session, another legislator from Tejashwi Yadav’s party parted ways with the Mahagathbandhan.
The following legislators have so far abandoned the Mahagathbandhan:
– Chetan Anand (RJD)
– Prahlad Yadav (RJD)
– Veena Devi (RJD)
– Sangeeta Devi (RJD)
– Bharat Bind (RJD)
– Murari Gautam (Congress)
– Siddharth Sourav (Congress)
Bharat Bind, a resident of Kaimur district, entered politics by winning the district council election in 2010, marking the beginning of his political journey. In 2020, RJD fielded him as their candidate from the Bhabhua assembly seat, where he secured victory by defeating the closest BJP candidate, Rinki Pandey, with a margin of 10,045 votes.
