In a significant political shift, former Janata Dal (United) legislators Santosh Kumar Kushwaha and Rahul Sharma have joined forces with the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) as the Bihar Assembly elections loom.

Santosh Kushwaha, a former Member of Parliament from Purnea, criticized the JD(U) for its centralization of power and lack of connection with grassroots issues, backing his confidence in Tejashwi Yadav's leadership to foster progress in Bihar.

With the Assembly polls approaching, featuring November 6 and 11 as voting days and counting scheduled on November 14, the contest mounts pressure between the NDA coalition and the INDIA bloc, headed by Tejashwi Yadav's RJD and supported by Congress and other allies.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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