Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, September 29
After HAM(S) led by the former chief minister, Jeetan Ram Manjhi last week, the RLSP on Tuesday deserted the Grand Alliance charging the RJD with neglecting the junior partners.
The Congress party too is taking a hard stand on seat sharing and even threatened with contesting all the 243 seats.
RLSP president and former union minister of state Upendra Kushwaha, who wanted 36 seats from the RJD in the alliance, announced formation of a new front consisting of RLSP, Samajwadi Party(Jantantrik) and Bahujan Samaj Party.
Kushwaha was upset as the RJD was agreeing for only 12 seats. He had tried to seek alliance with the BJP which was willing to offer only ten seats. In 2015 elections, as a partner in the NDA, RLSP had contested on 22 seats.
Kushwaha had left NDA in December 2018 and joined Grand Alliance.
Addressing a press conference here, Kushwaha said under the chief minister Nitish Kumar, health and education sectors had been ignored by the government.
State in-charge of BSP Ram Singh Gautam and Samajwadi Party (Jantantrik) president Sanjay Singh who also attended the joint press conference said the new alliance would contest all the seats.
Samajwadi party led by Akhilesh Yadav is not contesting the assembly elections and decided to support candidates of RJD.
The Jan Adhikar Party chief, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav today held a meeting with Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of B R Ambedkar here. Prakash is president of Aghadi Party.
Meanwhile Chief election commissioner Sunil Arora on Tuesday evening arrived here for consultations with the officials and leaders of different political parties.
Arora and his six-member team of officials of the Commission will visit different areas of the state in the next three days. They are scheduled to hold meetings with the leaders of political parties here on Wednesday.
Commission has notified three phase polling for Bihar assembly elections and schedule for the by-election to Lok Sabha from Balmikinagar constituency.
