Nitish Kumar talks to Lalu Prasad Yadav to bail out JD(U) nominees in Rajya Sabha bypoll

PATNA: Former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar of the JD (U) has reached out to arch rival Lalu Prasad seeking support in the Rajya Sabha by-election and backed the Congress demand for the leader of opposition status in the Lok Sabha, signalling the emergence of a broad secular front in the state. The support of Prasad, the chief of Rashtriya Janata Dal, is crucial for JD(U) candidates to win the byelection.

Kumar rang up Prasad, ending weeks of pretence that he did not want to have any truck with him despite the RJD with 21 MLAs extending support to the new Jitan Ram Manjhi government (Manjhi replaced Kumar in May). The RJD chief was upset when the JD(U) leadership ridiculed him for his decision to support the Manjhi government.

“I spoke to Laluji last evening and urged him to support the JD(U) nominees in the Rajya Sabha elections,” Kumar told reporters on Saturday. Kumar has come under pressure in the face of strong resistance mounted by over a dozen dissidents who have fielded their own nominees Shabir Ali and Anil Sharma against the official party nominees Ghulam Rasool Baliyawi and Pawan Verma in the byelection due to be held on June 19. The dissidents have the support of the BJP. When asked whether the JD(U) and RJD will stitch a political alliance in future, Kumar said it was too early to say anything right now . “But we will have to make common cause with the secular parties to take on the BJP,” he said.