New Delhi: In a major political development ahead of assembly elections in Bihar, former Union minister and bureaucrat-turned-politician RCP Singh on Sunday officially joined Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party. The move also marks the merger of Singh’s recently launched outfit, Aap Sabki Awaz (AASA), with Jan Suraaj.
The announcement was made at a function in Patna, where Prashant Kishor, the founder of Jan Suraaj, formally welcomed Singh into the party. Expressing mutual commitment, Singh said, “Both of us will work together to make Bihar a developed state.”
Former IAS officer
RCP Singh, a native of Nalanda – the hometown of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar – is a former IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He first crossed paths with Kumar during his tenure as Union Railway Minister in 1999. Impressed by Singh’s administrative capabilities, Kumar later brought him to Bihar as his principal secretary after taking over as chief minister in 2005.
Singh took voluntary retirement in 2010 and joined the Janata Dal (United), securing two consecutive terms in the Rajya Sabha and later rising to become the party’s national president. However, his induction into the Union Cabinet in 2021 reportedly caused friction with Nitish Kumar. The fallout led to Singh stepping down from the JD(U) presidency and being denied a Rajya Sabha renomination. He subsequently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2023, but was largely sidelined within its ranks.
Kishor welcomes Singh
In November 2024, Singh launched his own political party, Aap Sabki Awaz. During the induction event, Singh voiced criticism of the current state of development discourse, saying, “When Prime Minister Modi speaks of a developed India by 2047, Bihar is seldom mentioned. This state is our home — we’ve laboured for others in both NDA and INDIA alliances. For the first time, we are building a home for ourselves.”
“RCP Singh is like my elder brother and one of the best persons who understands the society and politics of Bihar,” said Kishor, while talking to news agency ANI.
