RJD panel headed by Rabri Devi authorises hubby Lalu Prasad to select party candidates for Bihar polls

PATNA: RJD’s state parliamentary board headed by former CM Rabri Devi on Tuesday unanimously authorised its national president Lalu Prasad to select party candidates for the Bihar assembly elections commencing from October 12.

In another resolution, passed at its meeting held at a local hotel here, the parliamentary board also authorised Lalu Prasad for holding talks with alliance partners on the issue of seat-sharing and all other emerging issues. The meeting was presided over by Lalu’s wife Rabri Devi.

Briefing media about the decisions taken at the meeting, RJD state president Ram Chandra Purbey also said the party’s central parliamentary board would meet on September 17 and deliberate on selection of candidates for 100 seats allotted to the RJD by the grand secular alliance.

Purbey, who was accompanied by Lalu’s youngest son Tejaswi Prasad Yadav and RJD Legislative party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui during the media briefing, further said the state parliamentary board decided to handover the task of candidates’ selection to Lalu Prasad as all leaders reposed faith I his decision. “Most of the party office-bearers said that they was ready to happily accept whatever Lalu ji decides,” Purbey said. To a question, Purbey denied any sort of problem among the partners of the grand secular alliance over the issue of seat selection and asserted there was enough coordination among them.

On being asked whether RJD would change its decision on the chief ministerial candidate if it wins more seats than alliance partners in the poll, Rabri Devi categorically said that Nitish Kumar has already been chosen as a chief ministerial candidate of the secular alliance and he would be CM if the grand alliance is voted to power.

Tejaswi, who is likely to contest from Raghopur seat in Vaishali district, said the RJD was concentrating on youths and highlighting the false promises made by the PM Narendra Modi during electioneering for 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He said, the youths in Bihar were being informed as to how PM Modi promised to five employment to one crore youths each year, but forgot to create jobs after entering in the PM’s office.

Tejaswi’s elder brother Tej Pratap has declared to contest assembly polls from Mahua constituency in Vaishali district.

Courtesy: TNN