NEW DELHI: Nitish Kumar will be the Chief Ministerial candidate of the Janata Dal (United)-Rashtriya Janata Dal combine in Bihar, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav announced on Monday, resolving a major irritant in the alliance between the two parties to take on the BJP in coming Assembly elections in the state.
“I am very happy about the unity of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. Mr. Kumar will be the chief ministerial candidate for Bihar. Laluji has proposed Nitish Kumar’s name for the chief ministership. Laluji said he will campaign.“There are no differences and we will not allow any differences to crop up,” Mr. Yadav said while declaring that they would fight together to root out “communal forces“.
A day after the two parties agreed to fight the Assembly polls in an alliance, Mr. Yadav disclosed at a press conference here which was also attended by RJD chief Lalu Prasad and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, that Mr. Prasad proposed Mr. Kumar’s name for the top job in the state.Breaking his silence on the issue, Mr. Prasad said he cannot contest election himself and there was no other CM contender from his family or party.
“There are no differences between us (between him and Kumar),” he said, downplaying earlier remarks of some RJD leaders expressing discomfiture over projecting Mr. Kumar as CM candidate.
Mulayam Singh’s announcement ended days of speculation that the proposed alliance between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and Lalu Prasad’s RJD in the state would be a non-starter, as senior leaders of both parties made tough public statements on the issue of choosing a chief ministerial candidate.
By Mulayam Singh’s side at his Delhi residence today sat Lalu Prasad, who said, “I had asked Mulayam ji to decide and said we’ll all accept it. Nitish Kumar is our chief ministerial candidate.”
“I am very happy about the unity of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. Mr. Kumar will be the chief ministerial candidate for Bihar. Laluji has proposed Nitish Kumar’s name for the chief ministership. Laluji said he will campaign.“There are no differences and we will not allow any differences to crop up,” Mr. Yadav said while declaring that they would fight together to root out “communal forces“.
A day after the two parties agreed to fight the Assembly polls in an alliance, Mr. Yadav disclosed at a press conference here which was also attended by RJD chief Lalu Prasad and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, that Mr. Prasad proposed Mr. Kumar’s name for the top job in the state.
Breaking his silence on the issue, Mr. Prasad said he cannot contest election himself and there was no other CM contender from his family or party.“There are no differences between us (between him and Kumar),” he said, downplaying earlier remarks of some RJD leaders expressing discomfiture over projecting Mr. Kumar as CM candidate.

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