Bihar: Lalu Yadav, Nitish Kumar turn ‘friends’ for polls after 24 years

New Delhi: They have buried all the stalemate and are ready to work as a team. Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav, former Bihar Chief Ministers have decided to fight an important election in the state, sending shockwaves across the political fraternity.

The foes-turned-friends were all smiles at Sunday evening’s Iftaar party hosted in New Delhi by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

Gandhi shared the table with Lalu and JDU chief Sharad Yadav.

A “grand alliance” among the JD(U), RJD and Congress has been formed to take on BJP in the bypolls for 10 assembly seats in Bihar in August.

“A grand alliance among the JD(U), RJD and Congress has been clinched with the JD(U) and RJD getting four seats each, while the Congress will contest in the remaining two seats”, state unit JD(U) president Bashisth Narayan Singh told reporters.

He, however, refused to divulge the specific seats from which the respective parties would contest saying that the details would be announced later.

“I have the list with me about specific assembly seats to be contested by the JD(U), RJD and Congress in the bypoll, but I will not throw light on it as of now,” Mr. Singh said asking the mediapersons to wait for some more days for announcement in this regard.

Former chief ministers Nitish Kumar of JD(U) and Lalu Prasad of RJD will also campaign together in the assembly bypoll, Mr. Singh said.

Observing that the alliance among the JD(U), RJD and Congress was the need of the hour to take on the BJP, he thanked the leadership of all these parties for coming together to form the alliance in Bihar.

Kumar parted ways with the BJP last year, a move that damaged his political career. After his party poll debacle and BJP’s historic victory, Kumar quit as the Chief Minister of Bihar.

Lalu Prasad Yadav may still get a few seats,but Nitishji will not even open his account : Shahnawaz Hussain,BJP pic.twitter.com/uzev8bjQUA

— ANI (@ANI_news) July 28, 2014