Patna: In a major disciplinary action ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday expelled 27 leaders — including two sitting MLAs — for alleged anti-party activities and for defying the organisation’s ideology.

RJD state president Mangani Lal Mandal said in a statement that all 27 leaders, including MLAs Chote Lal Rai (Parsa) and Mohammad Kamran (Govindpur), have been removed from the party’s primary membership.

Among those expelled are former legislators Ram Prakash Mahto, Anil Sahni, Saroj Yadav, Anil Yadav, and ex-MLC Ganesh Bharti. Prominent leaders such as Ritu Jaiswal, Akshay Lal Yadav, Ram Sakha Mahto, Avneesh Kumar, Bhagat Yadav, Mukesh Yadav, Sanjay Rai, Kumar Gaurav, and Rajeev Kushwaha also face expulsion.

A senior RJD leader said the move came after it was found that the members were working against officially declared RJD and INDIA bloc candidates.

The Bihar Assembly, which has 243 seats, will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.

Meanwhile, Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav went live on Facebook, urging migrant workers visiting Bihar for Chhath Puja to stay back until after voting. “I promise that by next Chhath, no one will need to leave Bihar for jobs, education, or medical treatment,” he said.

Tejashwi also hit out at the Union government, accusing the railway minister of misleading the public over the “12,000 special trains” claim.

“Where are those trains? People are travelling in jam-packed coaches and even in toilets. PM Modi and his government should apologise for this insult to Biharis,” he added.