Patna: Ritu Jaiswal, once regarded as one of the prominent public faces of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, has announced that she will soon join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Speaking to a newspaper, Jaiswal said: “Currently, I am neither an MLA nor a member of any political party. I intend to join the BJP with the objective of serving the public. I will be joining very soon.”
Jaiswal was previously considered a close associate of Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and had served as:
- chief state spokesperson of the RJD
- state president of the party’s women’s wing
Expelled After Contesting As Independent Candidate
The RJD expelled Jaiswal for six years after she contested the 2025 Bihar assembly elections as an independent candidate.
Referring to the episode, she said she had earlier declined an opportunity to contest on a BJP ticket.
Jaiswal stated: “Had I been driven by greed, I would have accepted a BJP ticket back then and would be serving as the BJP MLA from Parihar today.”
She added that many supporters from the Muslim community had backed her during that period and said she did not want people to lose faith in politics by switching parties at that time.
‘Can I Wait Ten Years?’
Jaiswal also questioned the practical implications of her six-year expulsion from the RJD. She argued that remaining outside active politics for such a long period would effectively damage her political future.
According to her: “A six-year hiatus implies that the elections for both MLAs and MPs would have already concluded by the time it ends.”
She further said that even if the party later revoked her expulsion, she would still have to wait several more years for the next electoral cycle. “Am I expected to wait for a total of ten years?” she asked.
