Abdul Bari Siddiqui confident of fighting Lok Sabha elections from Madhubani

PATNA: Amid buzz of a possible tussle with Congress over the Madhubani seat, senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui said he would "definitely" contest the ensuing Lok Sabha elections from the constituency and expect a "friendly contest" between the two parties.

"Hum nischit chunav larege Madhubani se (I will definitely fight the election from Madhubani)," Siddiqui, RJD's Legislature party leader in the state Assembly, told PTI last evening.

Reports indicate that Congress was seeking the seat for its General Secretary Shakeel Ahmad but Siddiqui was not relenting.

Siddiqui, a prominent Muslim face of the RJD, had stood second to BJP's Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav in 2009 elections while Ahmad was relegated to the third position when RJD and Congress had fought the last poll separately. Ahmad has represented Madhubani twice in 1998 and 2004 and in both cases Congress was in alliance with RJD.

Siddiqui, said "as per norms of any alliance, the seat shall go to RJD. "But if Congress considers to fight the elections with RJD then I would suggest them to have a friendly contest at Madhubani while there could be a seat-sharing understanding on the rest 39," the senior RJD leader pointed out.