PatnaOctober 5, 2025 03:00 PM IST
First published on: Oct 5, 2025 at 03:00 PM IST
A doctor by profession and first-time MLA from Parbatta, who was accused of “trying to take away JD(U) legislators to the Opposition fold” during last year’s floor test and one who questioned the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Sanjeev Kumar’s joining the Tejashwi Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on October 3 came as no surprise.
“Sanjeev Kumar had been engaging in anti-party activities. Though we did not take any action against him, it was understood that he was no longer a part of the party,” JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad told The Indian Express.
Kumar has had several run-ins with the JD(U) since last year. Following the Nitish Kumar-led NDA proving its majority on the floor of the House in February 2024, trouble mounted for Sanjeev Kumar after JD(U) MLA from Harlakhi, Sudhanshu Shekhar, accused him of “facilitating horse-trading”. Subsequently, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) too filed a case against the MLA, a probe in which is still ongoing.
He also spoke up against the SIR. As the EC drive came under attack from the Opposition, Kumar claimed many poor people’s names were erased from the voter list in his constituency. “It is justified to erase the names of those who have died. However, it is completely wrong to remove names of the poor and labourers, as they do not know how to apply online,” he said in July.
Seen as a prominent Bhumihar leader, the 45-year-old Kumar is the son of four-time JD(U) MLA and former state minister Ramanand Prasad Singh. Before making his electoral debut in the 2020 Assembly polls, where he defeated the RJD’s Digambar Prasad Tiwary by a slender margin of 951 votes, Kumar had been working closely with his father. The family owns a private hospital in Patna.
Recently, in what was seen as a show of strength, he also organised a meeting of the Bhumihar community in his constituency.
“The JD(U) is no longer the party it used to be, with (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar not in good health. On the contrary, the RJD under Tejashwi Yadav holds great promise for the future,” the MLA said after joining the RJD.
Incidentally, Kumar already has a connection within the Mahagathbandhan through his brother and Congress MLC Rajiv Kumar.
Since the floor test last year, Kumar has had several run-ins with the government. Seen to have played a key role in ramping up infrastructure in the region through the Aguani (Khagaria)-Sultanganj (Bhagalpur) bridge over the Ganga river, the MLA vented his ire when the bridge collapsed. “The under-construction bridge on the Ganga at Aguwani Sultanpur has collapsed for the third time. The entire system is steeped in corruption. I have been repeatedly saying that it would collapse again, but to this day, no action has been taken against anyone — neither on the officials, nor on S P Singla Company, nor on Rodic Consultancy,” he said in a post on X in August 2024.
He was also involved in a war of words with a leader of ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), whom he referred to as a “thief”, over the infrastructure projects in Khagaria. “The construction of two sub-stations and a medical college has begun in Khagaria because of me. I want him (Khagaria MP Rajesh Kumar) to stay out of my election campaign even though he is an ally. As soon as he became an MP, he started taking commissions… I am a doctor and know how to treat people. I can even take up arms if my honour is compromised,” he said.
Kumar may well be counting on the RJD to field him in the coming polls from Parbatta, where he is seen to wield significant influence. The seat was won by then RJD leader and current Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary in 2000 and 2010 despite an NDA wave. “He can help the RJD win the Parbatta seat in the upcoming polls by forging a new social realignment. He could sway a large chunk of Bhumihar votes in our favour, apart from OBC, EBC and SC votes,” an RJD leader said on condition of anonymity.