Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar campaign together

RJD chief Lalu Prasad and former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar shared the dais at an election rally in the state Monday. With this, they came together to launch a campaign after nearly 20 years.

The two leaders also hugged each other at the rally organised ahead of a by-poll in Hajipur assembly constituency in Vaishali district.

They launched an election campaign for coming by-polls in 10 assembly constituencies.

Hundreds of party workers and supporters gathered at a ground near Hajipur, about 30 km from Patna, since morning to witness the development.

State Rashtriya Janata Dal president Ram Chandra Purve has said Lalu and Janata Dal-United's Nitish Kumar will begin the campaign from Hajipur assembly constituency followed by Mohiuddinnagar.

"They will share the dais and address election rallies at both places together," he said.

He said both will campaign together again Aug 17 in Narkatiyaganj, Mohania and Chapra assembly constituencies.

It was in 1991 Lok Sabha polls that Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar were last seen together in campaigning. Nitish Kumar, who had contested from Barh constituency then, had lost.

Bihar's ruling JD-U's new allies RJD and Congress are contesting the by-polls together to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Their alliance was announced July 30 and their leaders said the move was necessary to strengthen secular forces and to defeat communal parties.

The JD-U and RJD, which parted ways in 1994, came together after the BJP swept the recent Lok Sabha polls in Bihar.