Upendra Kushwaha calls on NCP, sparks talks of alliance

A day after Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha resigned from the Union council of ministers, he visited Pune to meet Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders, thereby setting off speculations that RLSP and NCP are about to enter into an alliance.

Unhappy with the proposed seat-sharing formula for Bihar ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kushwaha resigned from the NDA government on Monday. On Wednesday, he spoke with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar over the phone and met senior party leader Chhagan Bhujbal.

However, while speaking to the media, Kushwaha tried to downplay his visit, saying he was only wishing Pawar on the latter's birthday. "I have cordial relations with Bhujbal. Even when I was a minister, I was in touch with him," he said.

When asked if his party would be interested in joining an anti-BJP alliance for 2019, he said, "We will explore all options which are opposed to the NDA. We will go with the best possible option ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections."

Reacting to recent Assembly elections in five states where the BJP performed poorly, Kushwaha said, "The countdown for BJP has begun. Nothing in the world can save them from slipping further now."

Kushwaha, who used to be Union minister of state for human resource development in the NDA, said he joined the alliance because he thought they would stand for development. "I joined because they had an agenda of development. However, over a period of time, I realised that it's interested only its own agenda and of the RSS. The agenda of RSS doesn't suit my country and my party, as a result of which I decided to cut ties with them," he said.

Reiterating Kushwaha's comments, Bhujbal too said the end is nigh for the NDA. "The recent Assembly election results have made it clear that the end of NDA has begun. The 'Achhe Din' gimmick has completely failed, and people are fed up with the NDA. Opposition parties will stay united to defeat the BJP," Bhujbal added.

Who Is Kushwaha

• Upendra Kushwaha of Rashtriya Lok Samata Party quit the NDA government on Monday.
• He was reportedly unhappy at the seat-sharing formula worked out in Bihar.
• He was a member of the NDA since 2014, when his party won three seats in the Lok Sabha.