PURNEA, Oct. 12 -- With JD(U) turncoat Santosh Kumar Kushwaha joining the RJD just ahead of the state elections, the party is looking to achieve multiple targets through this move. Kushwaha is expected to bring his voter base to the RJD and give it an edge in the Seemanchal region, where the party aims to counter two leaders-JD(U)'s Leshi Singh and 'Congress-supported' independent Pappu Yadav. Santosh Kumar had entered the electoral politics in 2010 by winning Baisi assembly seat -- a constituency with over 70 percent Muslim votes -- on a BJP ticket. He had later joined JD(U) and won Purnea Parliamentary seat by defeating BJP's two-time MP Uday Singh alias Pappu Singh in 2014 despite a strong Modi wave and repeated his success in 2019 on the same seat. However, he lost to Pappu Yadav in 2024 by a slim margin. The LS poll in 2024 on Purnea saw two defeats one of JD(U) and the other of RJD when Santosh Kumar of JD(U) and Bima Bharti of RJD lost to Pappu Yadav, an independent. Bima Bharti had to suffer humiliating defeat despite continuous campaigning by Tejashwi Yadav who left hardly any stone unturned to defeat Pappu Yadav. "After Tejashwi Yadav miserably failed in Bima Bharti experiment, he was in search of a leader who could pose a challenge to Pappu Yadav and finally he has got it," a Purnea-based political analyst Prof N K Srivasatava said. He added, "This will change the RJD's perception in Seemanchal and Kosi regions and might benefit RJD in rolling out a right equation in this election." The RJD had bagged only three seats (two in Kosi and one in Seemanchal) in 2020 out of 37 seats -- it was a major setback to CM aspirations of Tejashwi . Insiders in RJD said that Santosh Kumar would most likely contest Dhamdaha assembly seat against Leshi Singh and that in 2029 he would be RJD's candidate against Pappu Yadav on Purnea Lok Sabha seat. RJD has chosen Santosh Kumar eyeing on substantial Kushwaha votes in Dhamdaha assembly constituency. "RJD has taken Yadav voters for granted and hence has started focusing on other castes to win seats. But these two castes (Yadavas and Kushwahas) hardly mingle with each other in Bihar," a senior JD(U) leader said, adding that the RJD experiment would fail. Cautioning RJD against neglecting its core vote bank (Yadavs), a senior RJD leader said, "I am afraid the RJD will succeed with the help of JD(U) turncoat, as he doesn't have an immaculate image or strong credibility among voters." In case of RJD turning towards Kushwahas, local observers feel Pappu Yadavs might emerge as the sole leader of local Yadavs who would be feeling ignored and sidelined. Locals also feel that augmenting a JD(U) turncoat at the cost of its own experienced leaders wouldn't augur well for the RJD. Seemanchal's 24 assembly seats will go to poll on November 11, and the filing of nomination will start on October 13....