Janata Dal (United) ("People's Party (United)"), abbreviated as JD(U), is an Indian political party with political presence mainly in eastern and north-eastern India. JD(U) is recognised as a state party in the states of Bihar and Manipur and is a part of government in both the states. JD(U) heads the government in Bihar and is part of the NDA government in Manipur. JD(U) won 12 seats in the 2024 Indian general election, making it the seventh largest party in the Lok Sabha. JD(U) states that they believe in promoting social justice and lifting up marginalized peoples.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal is an Indian political party, based in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Kerala. The party was founded in 1997 by Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation is a communist political party in India. The party is represented in Bihar and Jharkhand Legislative Assemblies. Since 2023, the party is also a member of the INDIA electoral alliance. In Bihar, the party has significant base amongst the Extremely Backward Castes and the Schedule Castes. It was successful in mobilising Upper Backward Caste groups such as Koeris in some districts of central Bihar, prior to the rise of Lalu Prasad Yadav. The party faced existential crisis when a large section of its Koeri and Yadav support base was defected to Rashtriya Janata Dal in 1990s. However, the ideological commitment of its cadre protected it from disintegration. It staged a comeback in politics after winning twelve seats in Bihar Legislative Assembly in 2020 and by sending two of its members to Lok Sabha in 2024 Indian general elections.
Nitish Kumar is an Indian politician who has been serving as the 22nd chief minister of Bihar since 22 February 2015, having previously held the office from 2005 to 2014 and for a short period in 2000. He is Bihar's longest serving chief minister whilst also holding the post for his 9th term.
Mahabali Singh Kushwaha(born 20 April 1955) is an Indian politician belonging to Bhabua, Kaimur district, Bihar. He was a member of the Indian Parliament, representing Karakat.
Rashtriya Lok Samta Party was a political party in India led by Upendra Kushwaha. It was launched on 3 March 2013 and was based in the state of Bihar. The party came into existence as a result of a feud between Nitish Kumar and Upendra Kushwaha, after which Kushwaha left The Nitish Kumar lead Janata Dal (United) and formed his own party. It has faced multiple rebellions and desertions since 2015. After the relations between Nitish and Kushwaha normalized, Upendra Kushwaha merged RLSP into JDU on 14 March 2021, with this, the party ceased to exit.
Upendra Kumar Singh, commonly known as Upendra Kushwaha is an Indian politician, and a former Member of Bihar Legislative Council and Bihar Legislative Assembly. He has also served as Minister of State for Human Resources and Development in the Government of India. Kushwaha is a former Member of Parliament (MP) from the Karakat constituency in Rohtas district, Bihar, and a former member of the Rajya Sabha. He was the leader of Rashtriya Samata Party (RSP), his own party, which merged into Janata Dal (United) (JDU) in 2009. Later, he formed Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), which also merged with JD(U) in 2021. On 20 February 2023, Kushwaha resigned from all positions in Janata Dal (United) and formed his own party called Rashtriya Lok Morcha due to his political problems with JD(U) and Nitish Kumar.
Santosh Kumar alias Santosh Kushwaha is an Indian politician and a former Member of Parliament representing the Purnia constituency in Bihar. He was first elected in the 2014 Indian general election, having run as the Janata Dal (United) candidate in the constituency. In 2010 he was also elected as Member of Legislative assembly of the Baisi of Purnea district as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. One month before 2014 lok sabha election he joined JD(U) as he was nominated as the party candidate for Lok Sabha election for Purnea constituency.
The Legislative Assembly election was held over five phases in Bihar through October–November 2015 before the end of the tenure of the prior Legislative Assembly of Bihar on 29 November 2015.
Shakuni Choudhary is an Indian politician who is a founding member of Samata Party. He was elected to the Lok Sabha, lower house of the Parliament of India from Khagaria Lok Sabha constituency as member of the Samata Party. Choudhary has been known for political defection and has remained Deputy Speaker in the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
Mahagathbandhan, also known as Grand Alliance, is a coalition of political parties in the Eastern state of Bihar in India, formed ahead of the 2015 Vidhan Sabha elections in Bihar. The alliance consists of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Indian National Congress (INC) and Left parties including Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation-CPIML (Liberation) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), with Tejashwi Yadav as the chairperson.
The Bihar Legislative Assembly election was held in three phases through October–November to elect members to the Seventeenth Bihar Legislative Assembly. The term of the previous Sixteenth Legislative Assembly of Bihar ended on 29 November 2020.
Abhay Kushwaha alias is an Indian politician from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and a Member of Parliament representing Aurangabad in Bihar, India and former Member of Legislative Assembly for Tikari in the Gaya district of Bihar. An erstwhile member of Janata Dal (United); he won the 2015 Legislative Assembly election to the Tekari constituency by defeating Anil Kumar of Hindustani Awam Morcha, a political party led by former Bihar Chief Minister, Jitan Ram Manjhi. He defeated Anil Kumar by a huge margin of votes. While Abhay secured 86,975 votes, Anil managed to get 55,162 votes only. In 2024 Indian general election, he won the Aurangabad, Bihar Lok Sabha constituency by defeating BJP's four term member of parliament, Sushil Kumar Singh. He contested on the symbol of Rashtriya Janata Dal in this election.
Samrat Choudhary, also known by his alias Rakesh Kumar is an Indian politician, who is currently serving as Deputy Chief minister of Bihar under Nitish Kumar. He is a member of the Bihar Legislative Council from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He has been the party president of BJP Bihar State unit from March 2023 to 25 July 2024. He has also remained Member of Legislative Assembly and a minister in Government of Bihar in Rashtriya Janata Dal government. Chaudhary has been a former Vice President of BJP for the state of Bihar and currently elected for the second term as MLC in 2020 after his first term ended in 2019. In 2014, Samrat planned a split in Rashtriya Janata Dal by defecting thirteen MLAs as splinter group of the party, later joining the BJP. In 2022, he was selected as the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council. In 2024, he was also made the convener of Group of Ministers on Goods and Service Tax rate rationalisation panel.
Shri Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha is a politician from Bihar, who has also served as a minister in the Government of Bihar. He is a son-in-law of Jagdish Mahto— the founder of Naxalism in Ekwari village of the Bhojpur region of Bihar. He has assumed several important posts in various regional political parties of Bihar, which include Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party, Jan Adhikar Party Loktantrik and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party. Kushwaha once headed JD(U)'s youth wing and has also been Minister for rural development in Bihar. In July 2024, he was elected to the Bihar Legislative Council. He was nominated by the Janata Dal (United) as its candidate to fill the vacancy of the post caused by end of the tenure of another leader of the party.
The Luv-Kush equation is a political term used in the context of the politics of Bihar, to denote the alliance of the agricultural Kurmi and the Koeri caste, which was assumed to be approximately 15% of the state's population The alliance of these two caste groups has remained the support base of Nitish Kumar, as against the MY equation of Lalu Prasad Yadav, which constitutes Muslims and the Yadavs. Caste consciousness and the quest for political representation largely drive the politics of Bihar. The political alliance of the Koeri and the Kurmi castes, termed the "Luv-Kush equation" was formed when a massive Kurmi Chetna Rally was organised by members of the Kurmi community in 1994 against the alleged casteist politics of Lalu Yadav, who was blamed by contemporary community leaders for promoting Yadavs in politics and administration.
Manoj Singh Kushwaha is a former minister of Bihar. Kushwaha was the Minor Water Resources minister in the Jitan Ram Manjhi cabinet in 2014–15. He contested from the Kurhani Assembly constituency in February 2005, November 2005 and 2010 legislative assembly elections, and was victorious.
The Rashtriya Lok Morcha, originally established as Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal is an Indian political party formally announced by Upendra Kushwaha on 20 February 2023, in Bihar after resignation from Janata Dal (United). The party's ideology is based on the ideals of Karpoori Thakur. The foundation of the party was preceded by a two day conference organised by Upendra Kushwaha in Patna, in which he invoked the participation of all the members of Mahatama Phule Samata Parishad, a socio-political organisation and his trusted aides in Janata Dal (United). In the backdrop of this conference the foundation of the party was announced.
Raja Ram Singh or Raja Ram Singh Kushwaha, is an Indian politician based in Bihar, who was elected to Bihar Legislative Assembly twice, from Obra Assembly constituency in Aurangabad district. He is a member of Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation. He was first elected in 1995 and retained this constituency in 2000 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections. He is also a politburo member of CPI(ML)L. In 2024 Indian general election, he defeated Bhojpuri singer Pawan Singh with a margin of over one lakh votes to win Karakat Lok Sabha constituency. He stood first in the triangular electoral contest involving National Democratic Alliance candidate and Rashtriya Lok Morcha president, Upendra Kushwaha and Pawan Singh.
Prabhu Dayal Singh was an Indian politician from Bihar, who served as member of Bihar Legislative Assembly for three terms from erstwhile Mirganj Assembly constituency in Gopalganj district of Bihar. Singh was a member of Rashtriya Janata Dal led by Lalu Prasad Yadav and was considered as a trusted aide of Yadav's brother-in-law Subhash Prasad Yadav. Singh had also served as member of other political parties which included Indian National Congress and Samata Party.
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