Nitish Kumar meets Assam leaders as polls near

GUWAHATI: Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar met Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader and former chief minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and All India United Democratic Front ( AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal.

Kumar met both the leaders in New Delhi.This has fueled speculation about new political equations for Assam assembly polls in 2016. Mahanta who met Kumar on Wednesday while talking to ET said, "I and Kumar are old friends. I happened that both of us were in Delhi at same time and therefore we meet. There is nothing political in my meeting with Kumar."

Assam chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, Ajmal had attended the swearing in of Nitish Kumar last month. Gogoi has shown keenness to replicate the Bihar model of grand alliance in Assam to check BJP. A senior AIUDF leader on the condition of anonymity said, "It was basically a courtesy call. There were discussions on uniting "secular forces" to check the BJP."