Amid uncertainty over an alliance between the ruling Janata Dal(United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for the State Assembly elections later this year, leaders of both parties — Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad — on Saturday left for Delhi once again for a final round of talks on the issue. Both leaders are expected to meet JD(U) president Sharad Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to reach a consensus before plunging into campaigning.
Earlier, before leaving for New Delhi, Mr. Sharad Yadav had a long meeting with Mr. Lalu Prasad in Patna and thereafter he drove straight to the residence of Mr. Nitish Kumar where both leaders had a three-hour meeting.
Informed sources in the JD(U) told
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However, the leadership issue still appears to be a sticking point with the RJD expressing its reservations over projecting Mr. Nitish Kumar as the chief ministerial candidate. “It is still to be decided but we’re hopeful that a way out would be found during their meeting in Delhi,” said a senior RJD leader, hinting that the “leadership issue” might be deferred till the elections are over.