‘Operation Lotus with key JD(U) man as Vibhishan’: Why Nitish supporters are up in arms against Sanjay Jha, Lalan Singh
Protest outside CM’s house as Nitish supporters prevent party leaders from going inside, police deploy barricades
JD(U) workers stop party MLC Sanjay Gandhi outside the residence of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar after Nitish announced that he will be contesting the Rajya Sabha polls, bringing the curtain down on his tenure as the longest-serving CM of state, in Patna, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (PTI Photo)
As Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar officially announced that he was seeking nomination to the Rajya Sabha, dozens of JD(U) workers and supporters protested against the party’s national working president, Sanjay Kumar Jha, and Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh, better known as Lalan Singh, for “betraying” Nitish and “forcibly” convincing him to relinquish power.
In a social media post on Monday morning, Nitish said it had long been his wish to serve in all four legislative bodies in the country. This clears the decks for a new Chief Minister, likely from the BJP, to take charge.
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Irate JD(U) workers tried to stop Bihar minister Surendra Mehta and JD(U) leader Sanjay Gandhi from entering the CM’s House. The protesters included leaders from the Muslim and OBC communities, considered Nitish’s key supporter base.
JD(U) leader and head of the Bhoomi Sangharsh Sena, Rupesh Patel, said, “What is happening is the handiwork of Sanjay Jha, who, alongside Lalan Singh, has completely taken JD(U) under control. Jha is a Vibhishan (Ravan’s younger brother who defected to Ram’s side), who worked at the behest of the BJP.”
Sanjay Mehta, a JD(U) worker, said, “Operation Lotus is complete now. BJP has usurped power from the JD(U).” As workers shouted slogans against the two leaders, the Bihar police barricaded all roads leading to the CM’s House.
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Protesters also raised slogans against senior JD(U)’s Lallan Saraf and Vijay Kumar Choudhary and warned that JD(U) leaders backing Nitish’s move to the Rajya Sabha would face consequences from party workers.
“How can they remove Nitish Kumar, who built the ‘good governance’ model? I couldn’t sleep the whole night; we didn’t even celebrate Holi,” one supporter said.
“This is an injustice to the people of Bihar. Extremely backward communities, backward classes and women voted for Nitish Kumar in the name of development. Now they are trying to overturn the mandate,” another supporter said.
JD(U) workers stop party MLC Sanjay Gandhi outside the residence of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar after Nitish announced that he will be contesting the Rajya Sabha polls, bringing the curtain down on his tenure as the longest-serving CM of state, in Patna, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (PTI Photo) 
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