Patna: The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday intensified its disciplinary crackdown, expelling five more leaders, including controversial MLA Narendra Kumar Neeraj alias Gopal Mandal, for engaging in anti-party activities during the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.
The move follows the party’s decision a day earlier to remove 11 senior members, including a former minister and former MLAs, bringing the total number of expulsions over the weekend to 16.
A letter issued by Chandan Kumar Singh, the party’s State General Secretary and Headquarters In-charge, said the leaders’ primary membership has been terminated with immediate effect for actions “contrary to the party’s ideology and organisational discipline.”
Among those expelled on Sunday are:
- Narendra Kumar Neeraj alias Gopal Mandal, sitting MLA from Gopalpur (Bhagalpur)
- Himraj Singh, former minister from Kadwa (Katihar)
- Sanjeet Shyam Singh, former MLA from Gaya
- Maheshwar Prasad Yadav, former MLA from Gaighat (Muzaffarpur)
- Prabhat Kiran, from Gaighat, Muzaffarpur
Gopal Mandal, known for his outspoken remarks and a string of controversies, had drawn the party’s ire after publicly criticising leadership decisions and defying the official candidate list. He was among several JD(U) leaders who either filed nominations as independents or openly rebelled following ticket denials.
Party insiders said the expulsions are meant to send a clear message that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will not tolerate indiscipline within the JD(U) ranks, particularly at a time when the NDA alliance is presenting itself as a united bloc ahead of the polls.
On Saturday, the JD(U) had expelled 11 others, including former minister Shailesh Kumar, former MLAs Shyam Bahadur Singh and Sudarshan Kumar, and former MLC Ranvijay Singh, citing similar reasons.
A senior JD(U) functionary said the leadership had “exhausted all internal channels of reconciliation” before taking disciplinary action. “Those who stood against official party candidates left us with no choice,” the official said.
