Nitish, Lalu break bread, to contest Bihar polls in alliance

NEW DELHI:
Ending suspense over the issue of a tie-up, Bihar’s ruling JD(U) and Lalu Prasad’s RJD today decided to contest the State assembly elections in alliance and constitute a six member committee to finalize seat-sharing.
“It has been decided in today’s meeting that a committee of three members each from RJD and JD-U will decide seat sharing and leaders of both parties will give a final shape to it. It has been decided now that both parties will fight the election in Bihar in alliance,” Samajwadi Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said.
He was talking to reporters after a two-hour long meeting between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad at the residence of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was approached by the two parties to broker peace after days of sparring between leaders of the two parties.
Asked about the contentious issue of chief ministership, the SP general secretary said,”There is no dispute (Koi gahma gahmi nahin hai). These things will be taken care of later. The real thing is seat sharing…”
Emerging from the meeting Ram Gopal expressed confidence that the leaders of the two parties will complete the task of devising an effective seat-sharing arrangement very soon.
The SP general secretary was reading from a resolution adopted at the meeting which was also read out separately by JD-U general secretary K C Tyagi.
Leaders from the three parties refused to elaborate on the matter further. (AGENCIES)