Amid speculation that there would be a rift in the NDA, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani today spoke to Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to convince the duo and bring them back on board.
Meanwhile, Sharad Yadav today said that the alliance is still there and a final call would be taken only after the meeting that would be called by the Janata Dal (United).
"The alliance is still there. Now, we will have a meeting. We have called everybody; we will very soon announce the dates. Discussions will take place in that meeting," he said.
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain earlier in the day said that the people of Bihar gave a mandate to the BJP- JD (U) alliance and it should be respected.
"In a democracy, one has to obey people's wishes. And the people of Bihar have voted for the BJP-JD (U) alliance. So, we will continue to run the government with JD (U). We won't break ties with JD (U)," he said, while denying media reports of his party's differences with JD (U).
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has given string indications of snapping ties with BJP, is planning to create a 'federal front' of three Chief Ministers, that of Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar.
The Bihar Chief Minister has held talks with party president Sharad Yadav and other senior state JD (U) leaders, weighing the pros and cons of remaining in alliance with the BJP. Presently, Nitish Kumar is on a tour of the state and has indicated that on his return after two days a decision will be taken.
JD (U) leaders in Patna had also given clear indications of their discomfort with the BJP after Kumar held consultations with them on the issue.
A meeting of JD (U) can be called to decide the fate of the alliance any time after June 14.
JD (U) has 118 MLAs in 243-member Bihar assembly and needs the support of only four more MLAs to reach the magic figure.
There are 91 MLAS from BJP, 21 from RJD and one each from LJP and CPI in the state assembly.
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