Mishri Lal Yadav, the sitting legislator from Alinagar in Darbhanga district, tendered his resignation from the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday, telling reporters that he had been repeatedly disrespected within the party and that he could no longer reconcile his position with what he described as a personal affront. “My self-respect has been hurt,” he said in brief remarks accompanying the resignation.

Yadav was elected to the Bihar Assembly in 2020 on a ticket from the Vikassheel Insaan Party, a small regional outfit that later aligned with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. He formally moved into the NDA fold during the term, and his departure on Saturday strips the BJP of a visible local face in a constituency where personal networks and local justice remain central to voter loyalties.

In his short statement, Yadav did not specify whether he was quitting the BJP alone or also resigning his membership in the legislative assembly. Under India’s Tenth Schedule — the anti-defection law — an MLA who voluntarily gives up party membership can face disqualification proceedings if the action is challenged in the Assembly. Legal experts in Bihar note that such challenges are often resolved politically rather than judicially, with party discipline and the discretion of the Speaker determining the immediate outcome.

The resignation comes at a politically sensitive moment: with Bihar’s electoral calendar drawing parties into final-stage preparations, defections and public fallouts can quickly alter alliance calculations and local campaigning strategies. For the BJP and its partners, the loss of a sitting legislator in Darbhanga has tactical implications. Alinagar has been a competitive seat where personal standing and intra-coalition arrangements matter as much as party symbols. Analysts say Yadav’s exit could complicate efforts by the NDA to demonstrate unity and sustain ground-level organisation ahead of high-stakes contests.

BJP state leaders did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A senior state legislator, speaking on condition of anonymity, said internal disagreements over ticket distribution and local leadership roles have surfaced elsewhere in the state as parties crystallise their electoral plans, but cautioned against drawing conclusions until formal communications are filed with the Assembly and Election Commission.

The episode underscores broader institutional tensions in Bihar politics, where alliance management frequently involves integrating smaller regional parties and high-profile defectors into the ruling coalition. Such incorporations can pay short-term electoral dividends but create long-term governance risks when personal loyalty, local patronage and organizational cohesion collide.

For voters in Alinagar, the immediate consequences are practical: uncertainty over constituency-level projects, access to state resources and the continuity of development schemes that hinge on party backing. Civic groups and local observers said they will be watching whether Yadav contests the next election as an independent or seeks a new political shelter, and whether the Assembly Speaker will receive any petitions seeking disqualification.

Yadav’s resignation is likely to prompt rapid political manoeuvring in Darbhanga, testing the BJP’s ability to manage dissent and the resilience of the NDA’s local alliances at a time when voter sentiment may be as pliable as party arithmetic.