The Bihar RJD family rift has grown deeper as Bima Bharti faces the toughest phase of her political life. After winning five MLA terms over 24 years, her career has slipped sharply. The Bihar RJD family rift became visible after she left JDU, joined RJD in 2014, and lost three major elections.
In the latest Lok Sabha elections, she created an unfortunate record. She lost by the largest margin among major candidates in the state. Kaladhar Mandal of JDU defeated her by almost 73,572 votes. Her security deposit was lost in Purnia, and her political image suffered badly.
Bima Bharti once held strong influence in the Rupauli seat. She first won in 2000 as an independent, then won again in 2005 on an RJD ticket. Later, after Nitish Kumar came to power, she joined JDU and won in 2010, 2015, and 2020.
Her decision to break ties with JDU in 2024 proved costly. Pappu Yadav, contesting as an independent, swept the Purnia seat with 5.67 lakh votes. Bima managed only 27,120 votes. The huge defeat damaged her credibility.
Her troubles continued in the 2024 by-poll, where she finished third. Her political journey now stands at a critical point.
