JD(U) adviser and former Rajya Sabha member K.C. Tyagi quit the party on Tuesday (March 17, 2026), nearly two months after it distanced itself from him, stating that his remarks did not reflect its official position on various issues.

Mr. Tyagi is likely to join another party and play an active role in Uttar Pradesh politics in the near future, informed sources said. Associated with the JD(U) since its merger with the Samata Party in 2003, he had earlier served as the party’s chief national spokesperson and national general secretary.

In a public statement, Mr. Tyagi recalled his long association with the party. “The JD(U) came into existence on October 30, 2003, with the merger of the Samata Party and the Janata Dal. George Fernandes was the party president, and I worked as its secretary general. I later worked with Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar as party presidents, serving as chief general secretary, chief spokesperson and political adviser,” he said.

Respect for Nitish

He also underlined that he had not formally resigned from the party, instead he let his primary membership lapse without renewing it. “My commitment to the broader ideological principles concerning the interests of the downtrodden, peasants and agriculturalists, including deprived sections of society, remains as firm as ever. My personal respect for Nitish Kumar, who has been my comrade for nearly half a century, also remains unchanged,” he said.

Mr. Tyagi said there would be no ideological shift in his politics, and that he would continue to be guided by the ideas of Rammanohar Lohia, Charan Singh and Karpoori Thakur.

Although he remained a political adviser to the JD(U), Mr. Tyagi had been left with a limited role after being removed as national spokesperson over a year ago. The party had on several occasions disowned his statements and had recently taken strong exception to his unilateral demand that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar be conferred the Bharat Ratna.

Mr. Tyagi is expected to announce his next political move at a meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on March 22.