A Veteran’s Tearful Exit: Shivchandra Ram Resigns, Signaling Big Setback To RJD

The former Bihar minister’s emotional departure from the party he served for over three decades exposes simmering fractures within the RJD during the MLC polls.

The optics of a veteran politician in tears are rarely good for a party leadership. On Monday, those visuals played out in a Patna press room as former Bihar minister Shivchandra Ram, a fixture in the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) since 1990, announced his exit from all party positions. As he spoke about the "injustice" he faced regarding the recent Legislative Council (MLC) nominations, Shivchandra Ram broke down and cried uncontrollably, struggling to maintain his composure before the cameras.

The immediate trigger for this resignation is the party’s decision to nominate Sunil Singh for the MLC election. For a leader who has spent over 30 years in the fold, the omission felt like a final act of betrayal. While Ram took a moment to acknowledge the opportunities given to him by Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, the sentiment was quickly overshadowed by his grievances. He claimed that the last few days had been an unbearable ordeal, leaving him no choice but to step down as the national president of the RJD’s SC-ST cell and sever his ties with the organisation entirely.

A Growing Sense of Alienation

The resignation is not just about one ticket; it is a signal of deeper discontent. Ram’s departure highlights a friction point that often plagues major political outfits during election season: the disconnect between long-term loyalists and the evolving criteria for candidate selection.

By taking his grievances public, Ram has signaled that he feels sidelined, suggesting that commitments made to him by the leadership were never honoured. His claim that members of his community had traveled to Patna specifically to support his candidacy—only to be left disappointed—adds a layer of social pressure to his exit. This public display of hurt is likely to ripple through the party’s support base, particularly among the core constituencies he represented.

Why It Matters

This development is a big setback to RJD as it navigates the high-stakes environment of the Bihar MLC elections. When a leader of three decades walks out, it does more than just create a vacancy; it suggests a breakdown in internal communication and reward mechanisms.

The RJD leadership now faces a delicate challenge: managing the optics of a veteran’s painful exit while ensuring the MLC campaign remains on track. Historically, such departures—especially those accompanied by emotional press conferences—can embolden opposition narratives about internal instability. Whether this is an isolated incident or the beginning of a trend of veteran leaders feeling disenfranchised will depend on how the party manages its remaining house in the coming weeks. For now, the image of a tearful Ram serves as a stark reminder of the volatility inherent in Bihar’s political landscape.