Ahead of polls, shifting loyalties come to fore

In Bihar's volatile political landscape, party-hoppers are no longer seen as outcasts but assets. With the assembly election campaign in full swing, the atmosphere is charged with defections, alliances of conveniences, and a clear shift towards electoral winnability over ideological commitment.

- Sanjeev K Jha

Sangeeta Kumari (second from right) left the RJD to join the BJP last week and secured the Mohania ticket for the upcoming polls.

(PTI)

Earlier this week, former MP and four-time MLA Sarfaraz Alam formally joined the Jan Suraaj Party in the presence of its founder, Prashant Kishor. Alam, son of former Union minister Mohammad Taslimuddin, has won the Jokihat assembly seat four times—twice on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ticket in 1996 and 2000, and twice on the Janata Dal (United) (JDU) ticket in 2010 and 2015. This latest political shift highlights a broader trend in Bihar's political landscape, where ideology often takesa back seat to pragmatic alliances,

The upcoming assembly elections have witnessed a trend in the allotment of tickets to political turncoats. A total of nine candidates who secured victories in the previous state elections under different party banners are now contesting under new affiliations. Following the collapse of the Grand Alliance-led government last year, seven MLAs from the RJD and the Congress have switched allegiance to support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). All but one of these defectors have been rewarded with party tickets for the forthcoming polis.