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 The Hindu that after the intervention of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Lalu Prasad had finally agreed to an alliance with Mr. Nitish Kumar.
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.
