Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led > grand alliance on Thursday received a big jolt with the Samajwadi Party (SP) declaring that it would contest the coming State Assembly elections on their own.
“Our party's parliamentary board took the decision today to fight the Bihar polls on our own,” SP leader Ramgopal Yadav said in Lucknow. The party took decision to honour feelings of the party workers in Bihar, he asserted.
> Lalu Prasad , Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and relative of SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, had declared that the SP had been given five seats.
Mr. Ramgopal Yadav said, “While making seat distribution, the major parties in Bihar did not consider or even contact the SP on the issue.”
The SP could go into the polls along with other parties, “but talks are in primary stage now,” he said.
To present a united face of the grand alliance, SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav had come to Patna to participate in the Swabhiman rally held in Patna on August 30.
When asked about any murmuring over seat-adjustment with the SP, Mr.Prasad had said: “five seats have been given to the SP and everything is fine now.”
The SP has neither any State legislators, nor parliamentarians from Bihar. However, the break-up may act as a morale booster for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The State unit of the party had demanded at least 27 seats. Later, they even agreed to contest on 12 seats but finally they were given just five seats, which apparently caused hurt and humiliation to the party leaders.
The six-party secular alliance of former members of the janata pariwar was launched with SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav being declared its head (mukhiya). But the parties could not reach a consensus on a common symbol.
The State recently witnessed star-studded rallies by national leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Bihar on Saturday, focussed his attack on former BJP ally and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing him of “backstabbing” the people of the State and alleging that there was some problem with his “DNA”.
Mr. Modi also targeted Mr. Kumar for allying with the RJD, saying the latter was trying to drag the State back to the ‘jungle raj’, and asked the voters to reject such people as they “cannot be trusted” again and elect the NDA with a two-third majority for changing Bihar’s fate.
