Lalu aide files nomination for lone Legislative Council seat

Displaying unity among alliance partners, Bhola Yadav, a close aide of RJD president Lalu Prasad, today filed nomination for the Bihar Legislative Council seat as joint nominee of Congress, JD(U) and RJD.
Accompanied by state presidents of JD(U), RJD and Congress -- Basistha Narayan Singh, Ramchandra Purbey and Ashok Chaudhary respectively, Yadav submitted his nomination papers to Secretary of the Legislative Assembly Hareram Mukhiya who is the presiding officer for the election.
After filing his papers, Yadav, who has been close to Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi for years, thanked leaders of the alliance partners for reposing faith in him.

"The happiness would have been more had Laluji been present on this moment. He is recuperating after a heart operation and I pray to God for his speedy recovery," Yadav told reporters.
A large number of leaders of the three secular alliance parties including state ministers Shyam Rajak and Shrawan Kumar, RJD Legislature party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui and scores of MLAs were present on the occasion.
Yadav is all set to be elected to the Upper House of the state Legislature due to overwhelming majority of the alliance partners in the Assembly. Moreover, BJP is unlikely to field a candidate against him.

September 1 is the last date for filing nomination.

To promote bonhomie between partners of the new alliance which was formed on the eve of the by-elections for ten Assembly seats, JD(U) gave up its claim over the seat in favour of RJD.
The seat fell vacant following resignation of Ghulam Gauss, who had crossed over to JD(U) from RJD on the eve of Lok Sabha elections and had contested unsuccessfully from Madhubani.
Though JD(U) has 119 MLAs in the Assembly in comparison to 24 of Lalu Prasad, it decided to give the seat to RJD as part of its efforts to enhance bonhomie between the partners ahead of the crucial Assembly elections next year.