Upendra Kushwaha's show of strengthen on Feb 19-20, to convene JDU meet in Patna

Janata Dal-United (JDU) Parliamentary Council President Upendra Kushwaha is to convene a party meeting on February 19-20 in Patna to discuss the current crisis in the party. In an open letter to his party workers on Sunday, Kushwaha expressed his concerns about the party, which he says is weakening.

In the letter, Kushwaha said that he had informed Nitish Kumar about the declining state of the party in recent times, but it fell on deaf ears. He mentioned the agreement between Nitish and the RJD and the rumors of a JDU-RJD merger, which he said had only weakened the party further.

According to sources, Kushwaha would gauge his strength in the party through this meeting and there are speculations that he was considering splitting the party if he left the JDU. Kushwaha, who has been sidelined in the party and has also been hinted a lot by Chief Minister Nitish to leave the Janta Dal United, said he would not leave the party without getting his share.

Upendra Kushwaha merged his political party Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) with Janata Dal-United in 2021 after the formation of the NDA government in Bihar in 2020. However, his ties with Nitish Kumar soured after he was inducted into the state cabinet. Moreover, amid speculation that Nitish might announce the expansion of the Bihar Cabinet, Kushwaha was in the post of second deputy chief minister in the government, but Nitish ruled out the possibility of any other deputy CM except Tejashwi Yadav.