New Delhi: Nitish Kumar will be the chief ministerial candidate leading the coalition of Janata Dal (United), Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress in Bihar assembly elections to be held in September, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav announced on Monday.
The Samajwadi Party chief said that RJD chief Lalu Prasad had proposed his name.
Earlier, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday confirmed that Congress would be a part of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Janata Dal (United) alliance for the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls.
“The Congress is definitely involved in the talks over the Bihar polls,” Kumar told a press conference here. “We discussed various matters with Rahul Gandhi but nothing that would interest you,” he added.
Talking about seat-sharing for the Bihar polls, Kumar said that “three members each from the RJD and JD (U) will meet tomorrow and have a discussion on seat-distribution”.
The Bihar Chief Minister had yesterday met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at the latter’s residence in the national capital.
Senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav had on Sunday confirmed that the Janata Parivar would fight the Bihar Assembly polls, due later this year, in an alliance.
“The meeting has come to a conclusion that three members each from RJD and JD (U) will be part of the committee. They will decide the seat distribution. I will not disclose the names of the members. It has been decided that the election will be fought by the alliance,” said Yadav.
Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav had met Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav yesterday to discuss the alliance ahead of assembly elections.
Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav was also present in the meeting, which took place at Mulayam’s residence here.
Lalu Prasad is also likely to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi today to discuss the alliance issue.
On April 15, six political parties-including the Janata Dal (United), Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal ( RJD) and the Samajwadi Party-had announced a merger to revive the united Janata Party. Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav was named the president of the merged entity.
