Former Jharkhand Minister Saryu Roy Joins Nitish Kumar's Party

Former Jharkhand Minister Saryu Roy has joined the JD(U), party's national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha said on Sunday.

Mr Jha shared the news on X, noting that Roy, an independent MLA from Jamshedpur East, joined the party in the presence of senior JD(U) leaders and ministers Shrawan Kumar and Ashok Choudhary, who is also the JD(U)'s in-charge for Jharkhand.

This development follows a recent meeting between Mr Roy and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, during which the MLA hinted at a potential alignment with JD(U) ahead of the Jharkhand assembly elections later this year.

Mr Roy, a former BJP leader, left the party before the 2019 assembly elections and achieved a notable victory over the then CM Raghubar Das, in whose cabinet he had previously served.

Mr Roy is recognised for his role in exposing the fodder scam that significantly impacted the government of undivided Bihar in the 1990s, led by RJD president Lalu Prasad, who was later convicted.

JD(U) leaders recall Mr Roy's close personal friendship with Mr Kumar, who has been a BJP ally for years and wishes for his party to contest the Jharkhand assembly polls as part of the NDA.

Mr Jha welcomed Roy to the JD(U) family, expressing confidence that his addition would strengthen the party's base in Jharkhand.

"He (Roy) has a personal relationship with JDU national president and Bihar's honourable CM. I am confident that Mr Roy's joining will strengthen the party base in Jharkhand", Mr Jha posted on X.

The JD(U), which emerged as the third-largest constituent of the NDA with 12 MPs following the Lok Sabha elections, is now focused on strengthening its position in Jharkhand ahead of the state elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)