Patna, May 26 (IANS) In a significant political development in Bihar, former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) women’s wing state president Ritu Jaiswal formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a ceremony held at the party’s state headquarters in Patna on Tuesday.

She took BJP membership in the presence of BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi and Bihar Revenue and Land Reform Minister Dilip Jaiswal.

After joining the BJP, Ritu Jaiswal said her decision was driven by national interest and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for promoting the philosophy of Antyodaya, which aims to ensure that government benefits reach the last person in society.

She acknowledged that her political switch could trigger criticism and trolling on social media but asserted that she was not afraid of backlash.

Ritu Jaiswal also referred to welfare initiatives such as the Ayushman Bharat scheme, claiming it had transformed access to healthcare for poor families by reducing financial fear during serious illnesses.

Speaking at the event, Sanjay Saraogi launched an attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal, saying many leaders now wish to join the BJP because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and leadership.

Ritu Jaiswal has had a notable political journey in Bihar politics over recent years.

During the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, she contested from the Parihar Assembly constituency as an RJD candidate and narrowly lost to BJP MLA Gayatri Devi by 1,569 votes.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the RJD fielded her from the Sheohar Lok Sabha constituency, where she was defeated by JD(U) leader Lovely Anand.

Later, after reportedly being denied an RJD ticket in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, she contested independently from Parihar and secured more than 65,000 votes, finishing ahead of the official RJD candidate.

Her move to the BJP is being viewed by political observers as a potentially important shift in the political equations of north Bihar, particularly in the Sitamarhi region.

–IANS

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