Embarrassment for RJD as its Goa unit merges with JD(U); BJP ally likely to contest polls

Even as Lalu Prasad Yadav has become active in politics again, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) suffered embarrassment after its Goa state unit merged with JD(U) ahead of the Assembly polls. Goa RJD president Ahamad Kadar and other prominent leaders joined JD(U) in the presence of party general secretary Afaque Ahmad Khan in a special ceremony in the national capital on Tuesday. As per a press release, the leaders were inspired by JD(U)'s ideology of "development with justice" and the developmental work done by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Moreover, JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh nominated Kadar as the new president of JD(U)'s Goa unit. Maintaining that the entry of RJD leaders will expand its base at the grass-root level in the state, JD(U) hinted that it might contest the 2022 Goa Assembly election. This assumes significance as other regional parties like AAP and TMC have also decided to fight the polls in the BJP-ruled state this time.

Lalu Yadav-Nitish Kumar faceoff

The Assembly seats of Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur will go to the polls on October 30, whereas the counting of votes will take place on November 2. After RJD refused to let Congress contest from Kusheshwar Asthan, the latter fielded its candidates on both seats going to polls, effectively walking out of the Mahagatbandhan. Amid the rift in the opposition camp, Lalu Yadav returned to Bihar after three years and revealed that he would campaign in the aforesaid constituencies on Wednesday.

Predicting that his party will win both seats by a handsome margin, Yadav opined that the ruling BJP-JD(U) coalition is losing ground rapidly. Taunting Nitish Kumar on Tuesday, he quipped, "He is Prime Minister material. They would chant slogans, 'How should a Prime Minister be like? He should be like Nitish'. He has such arrogance and greed". On 26 July 2017, Kumar had stepped down as the CM citing irreconcilable differences with RJD over corruption allegations against the then Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and joined hands with its former ally BJP.

Meanwhile, the Bihar CM took umbrage at Yadav's remark that the former will be "finished" after his return to the state.

Speaking to the media, Nitish Kumar opined, "Why doesn't he get me shot instead. That's the maximum he can do".

In a veiled dig at the RJD supremo for the criticism of his government's performance, he added, "If there's someone who does not know what time it is, what is the scenario, then how will they know. There's no reasonable explanation for these points. The people who got so many opportunities to work, they worked for 15-15 years, they should specifically not be talking about this."