Bihar poll: Congress gets Akhilesh boost, RJD set back

The joining of former Union minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh has lifted the mood in the unfancied Congress ahead of the Bihar assembly election.

So much so that Union minister and Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik has started claiming the party would play kingmaker in the state after the poll.

Singh, a former MP from Motihari, was presented to the media at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Monday. He blamed RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s adamant attitude for shifting loyalty.

Congress has decided to go solo in the election and would contest all 243 seats in the Bihar assembly. The rush for tickets at the party’s state headquarters has left a lot of veterans amazed.

Dispelling the notion that ticket-seekers were simply looking to pocket party funds, an aspirant said they were willing to submit affidavits to the contrary and contest the election on their own strength.

Meanwhile, in another blow to RJD, Lalu’s brother-in-law Subhash Yadav also quit the party. RJD MP from Maharajganj Uma Shankar Singh has already gone public with his opposition to the party’s decision to induct JD(U) leader Prabhunath Singh and things may turn worse for Lalu as September 27, the date when filing of nominations begins, approaches.