RJD, JD-U announce alliance for Bihar polls

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) will contest the coming Bihar assembly elections together, it was announced on Sunday.

"It has been decided that RJD and JD-U will contest the Bihar polls in alliance," Samajwadi Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said after a meeting between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad at the official residence of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav here.

Mulayam Singh -- who has been named chief of the new party to come into existence when six former constituents of the erstwhile Janata Dal reunite -- and JD-U chief Sharad Yadav also participated in the meet.

A six-member team, three from each party, will be constituted to work out the seat-sharing formula between the two, said Ram Gopal Yadav.

On the contentious issue of chief ministerial candidate which had threatened to derail the alliance, he said: "There is no dispute. These things will be taken care of later."

Six parties which emerged out of the erstwhile Janata Dal -- including the JD-U, the RJD, the SP, the Indian National Lok Dal and the Janata Dal-Secular -- in April announced a merger to revive the old party.