Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar joining hands is a 'good beginning': Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress today hailed as "good beginning" the rivals Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar shaking hands after 20 years for Rajya Sabhya bypolls in Bihar saying it will be "great if a grand alliance happens" in future. The two parties coming together has led to the victory of two JD(U) candidates in the Rajya Sabha bypolls in Bihar despite cross voting.

Diplomat-politician Pawan Kumar Varma and Gulam Rasool Balyawi, official candidates of JD(U) defeated Independents Anil Sharma and Sabir Ali, having support of BJP and JD(U) dissidents.

The victory of JD(U) candidates came as a moral booster for Nitish Kumar's party which received severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections winning just two of the 40 seats. RJD had won four Lok Sabha seats while Congress just two and NCP one in an election which saw the Narendra Modi juggernaut ensuring 31 seats for NDA.

The combined vote percentage of RJD, JDU and Congress was way ahead of that of NDA and there is a view that if any such alliance is formed, BJP's march will be halted. "It's a good beginning. It is great if a grand alliance (of RJD, JDU, Congress) happens in future," a top Congress functionary said today.