In a jolt to Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), four out of five MLAs in Bihar have left the party and joined Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday, 29 June.
The AIMIM had made a major dent in Bihar’s political landscape, winning five seats in the Bihar Assembly Elections in November 2020.
The four MLAs who quit the AIMIM are:
Shahnawaz Alam: Jokihat (Araria district)
Mohammad Anzar Nayeemi: Bahadurganj (Kishanganj district)
Mohammad Izhar Asfi: Kochadhaman (Kishanganj district)
Syed Ruknuddin Ahmed: Baisi (Purnea District)
Following the victory, national president Asaduddin Owaisi hailed it a “win for the people for Seemanchal” and a vote for justice for the backward region.
The MLAs are set to join the RJD, the region's principal Opposition party in the Legislative Assembly with 80 MLAs.
The AIMIM had contested the election as part of the Grand Secular Democratic Front comprising Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and Samajwadi Janata Dal (Democratic).
'Largest Party in Legislative Assembly'
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav arrived at the Bihar Assembly alongside the four MLAs on Wednesday, following which, they interacted inside Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha's room. During this time, only Bihar AIMIM Chief Akhtarul Iman was not present.
Yadav said in Patna, "Out of the five Bihar AIMIM MLAs, four have joined our party today. We welcome them. Now we are the largest party in the Bihar Legislative Assembly."
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