Janata Parivar merger process is on: Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that all the six parties, which are to be a part of the Janata Parivar, have agreed to the merger.

"Yesterday, we met Mulayam Singh ji and Sharad Yadav ji and the merger process is now on. This is strong step in direction of the merger, every party has agreed to it. However, there is no question of domination as it is a matter of agreement," said Kumar.

Earlier in the day, former prime minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda had agreed to the merger under the leadership of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief chief Lalu Prasad had earlier on Sunday said the merger of Janata Parivar had already taken place and added that its announcement was a mere formality.

"Janata Parivar has been merged and has entered its final stage. Mulayam Singh ji will make an announcement soon," Lalu told the media.

The six parties, which are likely to join hands, are Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (U), Janata Dal (Secular), Indian National Lok Dal and Samajwadi Janata Party.

The move to bring together the Janata outfits as a counterweight to the BJP had been conceived in the aftermath of their debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.