Patna:
RJD chief Lalu Prasad today announced that Samajwadi Party will contest on five seats in the crucial Bihar Assembly elections scheduled in September-October.
“We have decided to give three seats earlier allotted to NCP and two others from the RJD quota to SP in the Bihar elections,” Prasad told reporters.
“The way they (secular alliance) ditched us while deciding on seats, it seems there is no room left for talks with it...It seems we are left with only one option - that is to form a third front with Left and other parties,” NCP general secretary Tariq Anwar had said on Thursday.
SP, though, is keeping up suspense over the participation of party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav in tomorrow’s rally of the grand “secular” alliance.
Bihar SP chief Ramchandra Singh Yadav said Mulayam called party secretary general Kiranmoy Nanda to Lucknow on hearing the announcement made by Prasad.
“We are awaiting a final word on participating in the rally tomorrow,” the Bihar SP chief told reporters.
“Nanda was supposed to be present in the press conference here, but he was called to Lucknow by ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam). We are awaiting party decision’s on tomorrow’s rally,” he said.
Asked if he was thankful to Lalu Prasad for allotting five seats to SP, he said “Personally, I regard Laluji as a guardian, but a decision on seats and participation in tomorrow’s rally would come from Lucknow.”
Ramchandra had led an indefinite dharna after the party was denied any seat in the grand “secular” alliance on August 12, when it was decided that RJD and JD-U will contest 100 seats each of total 243 Bihar assembly, and Congress 40 seats and three seats were left for NCP.
