Patna: The JD-U, routed in the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, may Sunday evening elect a new leader of the legislature party to succeed Nitish Kumar, who quit as chief minister. A party leader also claimed the arch rival RJD will re-align with the JD-U to form the new government, but Lalu Prasad dismissed the possibility.
The Janata Dal-United legislature party is meeting Sunday evening and is expected to elect a new leader to succeed Nitish Kumar as he is unwilling to take back his resignation.
JD-U president Sharad Yadav, who himself lost the Lok Sabha polls from Madhepura, said: “We will elect a new leader in the meeting of the party legislators…”
The JD-U won only two of the state’s 40 Lok Sabha seats – as against 20 seats 2009, when it was in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The JD-U parted ways with the BJP last year ending a 17-year long tie-up.
The possibility of the Rashtriya Janata Dal joining hands with the JD-U to form the new government was aired by JD-U general secretary K.C. Tyagi, who said here Sunday: “RJD will join the government after JD-U elects its new leader.”
“I had talked several times with RJD chief Lalu Prasad in this connection…,” he said.
Tyagi also made it clear that Lalu was opposed to Nitish Kumar continuing as chief minister.
Lalu Prasad, however, quickly denied that there was any move to forge an alliance with JD-U.
“There is no question and no possibility of an alliance with JD-U,” Lalu told media persons here.
“It is baseless and a cooked up story that I had spoken to JD-U president Sharad Yadav over it,” Lalu said.
All eyes are now on the JD-U legislature party meeting scheduled for later in the evening.
Lalu said that after JD-U legislature party meeting, the RJD will hold a meeting of its leaders and legislators to discuss the situation.
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the BJP will make its move only after JD-U legislature party meeting.
“We may try to form next government if situation demands,” Modi said.
In the 243-member assembly, the JD-U has 115 legislators while the BJP has got 90. The RJD is placed third with 22 lawmakers, including its 11 rebels, the Congress has four and others are eight.
According to JD-U sources, the names of at least three leaders are doing rounds to succeed Nitish Kumar. They are state party president Bashisht Narain Singh, Narendra Singh and Vijay Kumar Choudhary.
“It will be finalised in the party meeting only,” a JD-U leader said.
A large number of party legislators, leaders and workers have reiterated their support to Nitish Kumar and asserted they would persuade him to continue.
“We will again re-elect Nitish Kumar as our leader in the JD-U legislature party meeting,” said senior JD-U leader Shahid Ali Khan.
Khan said: “We will convince him with support of all party legislators.”
Another JD-U legislator, Narender Singh said the party will try its best to persuade Nitish Kumar to take the responsibility to continue heading the government.