Key Points

Nishad, accompanied by his wife Rama Nishad, formally returned to the BJP fold. They were welcomed into the party by Bihar BJP State President Dilip Jaiswal, who administered the party membership at the state headquarters.

Ajay Nishad, who hails from a prominent political family, had earlier represented Muzaffarpur in the Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019 on a BJP ticket. However, after being denied a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he switched to the Congress and contested from Muzaffarpur but lost to the BJP’s Rajbhushan Nishad by a margin of 2.34 lakh votes.

Following Rajbhushan Nishad’s victory and his induction as Minister of State in the Narendra Modi government, Ajay Nishad’s proximity to the BJP reportedly grew stronger, culminating in his formal return. Ajay Nishad’s father, Jai Narayan Prasad Nishad, was a veteran leader who served as a three-time MP from Muzaffarpur and also held a ministerial position in the central government.

With assembly elections approaching, speculation is rife that either Ajay Nishad or his wife Rama Nishad may be fielded by the BJP from the Kudhni Assembly seat in Muzaffarpur. Party insiders view his return as a strategic move aimed at consolidating the Nishad community votes in the region.

The return of Ajay Nishad also comes amid a flurry of political realignments in Bihar. Earlier, four JDU leaders, including former Purnea MP Santosh Kushwaha, joined the RJD, signalling intensified activity across party lines ahead of the polls.

Apart from Santosh Kushwaha, former JDU MLA Rahul Sharma and Chanakya Prakash, son of sitting JDU MP from Banka Giridhari Yadav, also joined the RJD. Santosh Kushwaha had contested from Purnea and lost to independent candidate Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav in 2024.

- IANS