NEW DELHI, 13 January 2005 — As differences emerged over seat sharing in Bihar and Jharkhand assembly elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav held an hour-long meeting with Congress party President Sonia Gandhi here yesterday and ruled out any threat to the federal United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the center.

Lalu, who is also Union railway minister, told newsmen after the meeting that “there are only small differences in the state (Bihar), and these issues should not be blown out of proportion. We continue to remain together and there is no threat to the UPA government at the center.”

Meanwhile, Congress also backed Lalu ‘s claim that both parties continue to be together despite their differences over seat-sharing. Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natrajan said, “All UPA allies believe that we have to defeat the communal divisive forces in the elections. To that effect, all allies would be fighting the elections together.”

The bone of contention is that Lalu is willing to leave just 35 seats for Congress in Bihar, whereas the Congress is asking for about 50-80 seats in the elections to Bihar’s 243-seat assembly.

In what looked like pressure tactics against the Congress tying up unilaterally with Jharkhan Mukti Morcha in Jharkhand assembly elections, the RJD, Left parties and the Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar got together for contesting polls in Bihar and asked Congress to join them.

“We discussed all issues relating to seat sharing and our effort is to ensure that all secular forces come together in Bihar to counter communal forces. “All the four of us (RJD-CPI-M-CPI-NCP) will be going together and we are talking to Congress and asked it to come on board and everything will be clear in the coming two to three days,” said Marxist party leader Sitaram Yechury who met Lalu after his meeting with Sonia.

Meanwhile, with the Feb. 3 elections round the corner, Lalu is surrounded by ticket seekers, comprising both party workers and family members, who want to be promoted in politics.

Lalu’s elder brother, Gulab Rai, a retired peon of a college in Patna, is also working toward promoting his son Nagendra Rai’s political career. Although Nagendra is yet to apply formally for an assembly seat, his father claims that Lalu should award the ticket on the basis of their relationship.

“My son is doing so much. So his case should be seen with sympathy by Lalu,” says Gulab Rai.

Meanwhile, Lok Janshakti Party leader Ramvilas Paswan yesterday offered chief ministership to the Congress party in Bihar if it tied up with his party.

After an unscheduled meeting with Sonia, he said he was invited by Sonia for the meeting which took place after her hour-long talks with Lalu, Paswan said he apprised Sonia of the political situation in Bihar and assured her that if there was a tie-up between LJP and Congress, there would be two-third majority for the alliance and Congress would get the chief ministership.

In another development, the Supreme Court has barred those sitting legislators who have been convicted and sentenced to more than two years in jail from filing nominations.

The court has ruled that even if an MLA has an appeal pending in a higher court, he cannot contest unless he has been acquitted.

The order was delivered by a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice R C. Lahoti.