The senior Dalit leader did not cite any specific reasons for quitting the RJD. He was reportedly displeased with the RJD leadership for not giving him a prominent party post. Rajak is likely to contest the election from Phulwari in the 2025 assembly elections.His favored Phulwari constituency (reserved) was given to RJD ally CPI (ML), whose Gopal Ravidas won the seat in the 2020 assembly election. Rajak had previously represented the seat in the state assembly.Rajak reportedly wanted to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Samastipur, but the seat was allotted to Congress.Rajak served as a minister from 2010-15 and 2019-20. He had previously quit the RJD in 2009 to join the JD (U) but returned to the RJD in August 2020 when he was the state industry minister.Rajak, who is believed to have met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar before quitting the RJD, is likely to be given a key post in either JD (U) or the coalition government once he joins the party.Meanwhile, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav told media persons, “It is not a big deal if he leaves; elections are approaching. Stay well wherever you have gone. What is there to say in this? It is not going to make any difference to the health of the organization.”“Our party is guided by the principles of socialist icons like Ram Manohar Lohia, Karpoori Thakur, and Lalu Prasad. People come and go; it hardly matters,” he said in response to a media query.
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