Ex-Union minister RCP Singh joins Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, merges his outfit 'Aap Sabki Awaz'

RCP Singh joins Prashant Kishors party

Former Union minister RCP Singh officially joined Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party on Sunday in Bihar, a state gearing up for assembly elections later this year. Along with this move, Singh also announced the merger of his own political outfit, 'Aap Sabki Awaz', which he had launched in November 2024, with the Jan Suraaj Party.

The announcement was made in the presence of Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor. “Together, we will strive to transform Bihar into a developed state,” Singh said during the event.

Singh, originally from Nalanda — the hometown of current Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar — is a former IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He first connected with Kumar in 1999 while on central deputation, during Kumar’s tenure as the Union Railway Minister.

Impressed by Singh’s administrative capabilities, Kumar invited him to serve as his principal secretary after becoming Bihar’s chief minister in 2005. Singh took voluntary retirement in 2010 to join Kumar’s party, the Janata Dal (United), eventually serving two terms in the Rajya Sabha and later becoming JD(U)'s national president.

However, Singh’s political journey hit a rocky patch in 2021 after his appointment to the Union Cabinet reportedly created friction with Nitish Kumar. He resigned as JD(U) president and was denied a third Rajya Sabha term in 2022.

In 2023, Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), parting ways with JD(U), and has now aligned himself with Jan Suraaj in his latest political move.

(Curated with PTI inputs)