In a homecoming, Socialist Janata (Democratic) Party headed former Union Minister M P Veerendra Kumar today decided to merge with Janata Dal (United) and a formal announcement in this regard will be made in Kerala soon.
Kumar's party is currently a constituent of the United Democratic Front headed by Congress in the southern state.
He was a Union Minister in the United Front government after being elected to Lok Sabha in 1996 on Janata Dal ticket.
Kumar was in Janata Dal (Secular) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda from 1999 to 2010, when Janata Dal had broken into many factions after some of its leaders decided to join hands with BJP-led NDA at the Centre.
The Kerala leader parted ways from the JD(S) and formed Socialist Janata (Democratic) Party on August 7, 2010.
Welcoming the coming together of the two parties, JD(U) President Sharad Yadav said that Kumar, who had worked with leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia and Jay Prakash Narayan and is even senior to him, will help strengthen the secular forces.
A formal announcement about the merger of the two parties will be made in Kerala in a conference of Kumar's party in presence of Yadav and former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The coming together of the two parties has happened at a time when JD(U) and its arch rival RJD, both offshoots of Janata Dal Parivar, have already joined hands to form an alliance in Bihar and efforts are on to bring on board splinter groups which are politically significant in other states.
Addressing a joint press conference here, Yadav and Veerendra Kumar said that they have come together to strengthen "secular democratic forces" as they feel that there is a need to create a platform for this.
"I am happy that Sharad Ji and Nitish ji have wholeheartedly decided that we have to get together," he said, describing it as a "happy moment" for him being a socialist.
