SP to contest all seats: Party hurt by Nitish Kumar meeting Rahul Gandhi instead of Mulayam Singh, says SP leader

Though JD(U) president Sharad Yadav tried to woo SP back to the “Grand Alliance”, Mulayam had reportedly made it clear that “politics and relationship” were separate things.

Mulayam Singh, Samajwadi Party, Nitish Kumar, Rahul Gandhi, Lalu Prasad, Grand Alliance, Bihar Grand Alliance, JD(U), RJD, Congress, Bihar elections, bihar polls, bihar assembly elections, bihar news, india news, nation news

Samajwadi Party State President, Ramchandra Singh Yadav, addresses a press conference announcing his party will fight on all seats in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, in Patna on Monday. (source: PTI Photo)

The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Monday announced that it would contest all the 243 Assembly seats in Bihar, days after its exit from the ‘Grand Alliance’ of JD(U), RJD and Congress.

For the last few days, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav and RJD chief Lalu Prasad were holding talks with SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to woo him back to the fold.

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“After due consultation with the party chief, our parliamentary board decided to contest all the 243 seats. Mulayam Singhji was upset at (Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader) Nitish Kumar meeting (Congress vice-president) Rahul Gandhi instead of him. Moreover, the SP chief was miffed as he was not consulted for seat sharing,” said SP’s Bihar unit chief Ramchandra Singh Yadav.

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Stating that his party’s fight will be against “sampraywad” (communalism) and “dhokhawad” (betrayal), referring to Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar allegedly cheating the SP chief, Ramchandra said: “It was Mulayam Singh who was instrumental in making Nitish the chief ministerial candidate, but Nitish forgot about it and did not take on communal forces in a desired manner.”

Though JD(U) president Sharad Yadav tried to woo SP back to the “Grand Alliance”, Mulayam had reportedly made it clear that “politics and relationship” — Mulayam’s grand nephew is married to Lalu’s daughter — were separate things.

Though the SP lacks much influence in Bihar, its decision could damage chances of the Grand Alliance candidates in the Assembly seats bordering UP.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More

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