Patna: Former Belsand MLA Sunita Singh Chauhan and her husband, Rana Randhir Singh Chauhan, returned to the JD(U) on Saturday, rejoining the party along with several key associates and supporters at a ceremony held here. JD(U) state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha administered party membership to the couple and welcomed them back into the organisation.Sunita Chauhan represented Belsand after winning the assembly elections in February 2005, 2010 and 2015. Her association with the JD(U) was interrupted ahead of the 2025 assembly elections when she was denied a party ticket. In October 2025, she and Rana Randhir, then the JD(U)’s state general secretary, severed ties with the party, saying their years of dedication had not received due respect or recognition. They subsequently joined the Bahujan Samaj Party, but their stay outside the JD(U) was brief.Addressing the gathering, Kushwaha said the JD(U) and former chief minister Nitish Kumar had a distinct identity in politics. He said Kumar had translated the ideals of socialist icons into reality through the model of “development with justice”. Kushwaha said it was a matter of happiness that old and committed colleagues like the Chauhans had returned to the party.Rural development and information and public relations minister Shravan Kumar said Sunita Chauhan and Rana Randhir had played an important role in strengthening the JD(U) from its early days and had always stood by Nitish. He said Nitish had worked for the development of every caste, religion, household and family.Rural works minister Leshi Singh said Rana Randhir had been associated with Nitish since the erstwhile Samata Party era and that his return would strengthen the JD(U) and reinforce its commitment to “development with justice”.
