PATNA, 12 June 2005 — At least 18 rebel legislators of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will join the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on June 24, a leader of the group said here yesterday.
Narendra Singh of the rebel LJP camp said the group would merge with the JD-U to contest elections in Bihar later this year.
“We had convened a meeting in which the decision to merge with the JD-U was announced,” he said, claiming that at least 18 legislators would be breaking away from Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s party.
Singh said the 18 former LJP legislators were part of a group led by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) that met President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in New Delhi Friday.
Singh said four other former legislators did not attend the march to Rashtrapati Bhavan as they were in prison.
The LJP had 29 legislators in the dissolved Bihar Assembly. But last month, most of them revolted against Paswan and supported JD-U leader Nitish Kumar’s efforts to form a popular government in the state.
The LJP, meanwhile, expelled two rebel leaders for “anti-party activities” for six years. Those expelled yesterday are Ramashray Prasad Singh, LJP Legislature Party leader and Awadesh Khushwaha. “They have been expelled for anti-party activities,” said LJP spokesperson Sanjay Singh.
Paswan yesterday said his party would explore possibilities of firming up an alliance with Left parties including Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) besides Congress party for the coming assembly elections in Bihar. — Additional input from IANS.
