2 RJD MLAs among 27 leaders expelled for working against party nominees

Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has expelled 27 leaders — including two MLAs, four former legislators and an MLC — for anti-party activities and “defying the organisation's ideology” in the run-up to the Bihar assembly elections.

According to a statement issued by RJD state chief Mangani Lal Mandal, the expelled leaders have also been suspended from the party’s primary membership.

“The RJD took disciplinary action against the leaders after it found that they were indulging in anti-party activities against the RJD or ‘Mahagathbandhan’ nominees," it said on Monday evening.

The expelled MLAs are Chote Lal Rai (Parasa) and Mohammad Kamran (Govindpur). Four former legislators — Ram Prakash Mahto, Anil Sahni, Saroj Yadav and Anil Yadav — and ex-MLC Ganesh Bharti have also been suspended.

Reacting to the development, a senior RJD leader said, "The expelled leaders were working against the officially declared candidates of the INDIA bloc and the RJD."

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was last week declared the INDIA bloc’s nominee for the chief minister’s post.

The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with results set to be announced on November 14.