Patna, July 6 (IANS) Former BJP minister Ramji Das Rishideo Saturday joined Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, party leaders said.

It is the first time a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader has joined the JD-U in Bihar after Nitish Kumar dumped the party last month.

Rishideo was a minister in the first BJP-JD-U government led by Nitish Kumar. "I joined the JD-U to work for development of Bihar," he said.

Some JD-U leaders have claimed that more than a dozen BJP leaders are in touch with the JD-U and they will soon join the party.