Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday expelled Afzal Ali Khan from the party for six years after he refused to withdraw his nomination from the Gaura Bauram Assembly seat in Darbhanga district. The decision came despite repeated directives from the party leadership, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who had initially given Khan the party symbol for the seat.
Afzal Ali had filed his nomination as the RJD candidate, but following prolonged negotiations among Grand Alliance partners, the Gaura Bauram seat was later allocated to the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) on the final day of nominations. VIP chief Mukesh Sahni had identified the constituency as strategically favourable given its caste composition. However, Sahni later opted not to contest himself, fielding his younger brother Santosh Sahni as the party’s candidate instead.
Grand Alliance leaders, including Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, campaigned in support of Santosh Sahni, publicly declaring him the joint opposition candidate. Despite appeals from RJD leaders, Afzal Ali refused to withdraw from the race, prompting the party’s disciplinary committee to expel him.
In response, Afzal Ali Khan dismissed the expulsion as “fake” and politically motivated. In a social media post, he wrote, “The letter being circulated is false and part of a conspiracy. The growing popularity of the RJD candidate and the overwhelming public support have shaken the opposition. Fearing defeat, they are spreading confusion by issuing fake expulsion letters.”
