RJD rejects Shivchandra Ram's resignation, resolves SC/ST cell dispute
Synopsis
A rare public breakdown by a senior RJD leader over Dalit representation briefly exposed a fault line the party could ill afford — with Lalu Prasad Yadav's own daughter questioning candidate selection. The leadership moved fast to contain the damage, but the underlying tension over SC/ST community representation within the RJD is far from settled.
Key Takeaways
The RJD rejected the resignation of Shivchandra Ram , National President of its SC/ST Cell , on 9 June .
Ram had resigned citing dissatisfaction over not being nominated for the Bihar Legislative Council election.
Chief Whip Kumar Sarvjeet and senior leaders personally intervened to persuade Ram to withdraw his resignation.
Rohini Acharya , daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav , publicly questioned the party's candidate selection process.
Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and former minister Tej Pratap Yadav both weighed in, amplifying the political fallout.
The dispute centred on the nomination of Sunil Kumar Singh as the RJD candidate for the Legislative Council seat.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Tuesday, 9 June rejected the resignation of Shivchandra Ram, the party's National President of the SC/ST Cell, after senior leaders intervened to address his grievances over being overlooked for nomination to the Bihar Legislative Council elections. The party leadership confirmed that Ram had agreed to withdraw his resignation and continue in his role.
How the Crisis Was Defused
RJD Chief Spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav announced that the party had not accepted Ram's resignation. He said that Chief Whip Kumar Sarvjeet and several other senior leaders personally met Ram and persuaded him to remain with the organisation.
'Shivchandra Ram is a veteran and dedicated soldier of the RJD. He has unwavering faith in the ideology of social justice, and the party deeply values his contribution. The RJD leadership respects his experience, commitment, and service to the organisation,' Yadav said.
What Triggered the Resignation
The dispute surfaced a day earlier, on Monday, when Ram dramatically announced his resignation at a press conference, breaking down emotionally before the media. In a two-page letter addressed to RJD National Working President Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, he cited the party's decision on a vacant Legislative Council seat as the trigger.
Ram argued that members of the Dalit and Ravidas communities, along with thousands of dedicated party workers, had held strong expectations around representation in the Council. He alleged neglect of Dalit leaders and insufficient respect for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities within the party — though he clarified he had no intention of leaving the RJD entirely. Reports also indicated his health deteriorated in the hours following the announcement.
The Candidate Row at the Centre
The controversy was directly linked to the filing of nomination by Sunil Kumar Singh as the RJD candidate for the Legislative Council election on Monday, which reportedly triggered dissent within sections of the party. Notably, Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD National President Lalu Prasad Yadav, also publicly questioned the candidate selection process through a social media post — a rare instance of internal friction surfacing from within the first family of the party.
Political Fallout Across Bihar
The episode drew swift reactions from outside the RJD. Former minister Tej Pratap Yadav expressed solidarity with Ram, stating that his party, JJD, stood by the veteran leader. Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also criticised the RJD over the matter, using the episode to target the opposition party ahead of crucial state-level political contests.
What It Means Going Forward
With Ram's decision to stay, the RJD has for now contained what threatened to become a damaging public split over Dalit representation — a politically sensitive fault line in Bihar, where SC/ST communities form a significant vote bloc. However, the underlying tensions over candidate selection and community representation within the party remain unresolved, and the episode has already provided ammunition to rivals. Whether the leadership's intervention amounts to a genuine course correction or a short-term patch will likely become clearer as the Legislative Council election unfolds.
Point of View
And Shivchandra Ram's public breakdown is a symptom, not the cause. More telling is Rohini Acharya's social media intervention — when the party's first family signals discomfort with candidate selection, it suggests the decision-making circle is narrower than the party's social justice rhetoric implies. Bihar's SC/ST communities are not a monolith, but their electoral weight is decisive, and rivals like Jitan Ram Manjhi will not let this moment pass quietly. The RJD has bought time, not resolution.
NationPress
25 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Shivchandra Ram resign from the RJD?
Shivchandra Ram resigned as National President of the RJD's SC/ST Cell after the party did not nominate him for the Bihar Legislative Council election. He alleged neglect of Dalit leaders and insufficient respect for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities within the party.
Did Shivchandra Ram withdraw his resignation?
Yes. After senior RJD leaders, including Chief Whip Kumar Sarvjeet, personally intervened and addressed his concerns, Ram agreed to withdraw his resignation and continue in his role. The party officially confirmed it had not accepted the resignation.
What triggered the dispute within the RJD over the Legislative Council?
The immediate trigger was the filing of nomination by Sunil Kumar Singh as the RJD candidate for the Bihar Legislative Council election, which reportedly caused dissent among sections of the party who had expected a Dalit or SC/ST community representative to be fielded.
Who else reacted to the Shivchandra Ram resignation controversy?
Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, questioned the candidate selection process on social media. Former minister Tej Pratap Yadav expressed support for Ram, while Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi used the episode to criticise the RJD.
What does this episode mean for the RJD ahead of Bihar elections?
The episode has exposed tensions over Dalit representation within the RJD at a politically sensitive time. While the immediate crisis has been contained, rivals have already seized on it, and the party's credibility on social justice — its core ideological plank — faces renewed scrutiny.
