JD(U), BJP to contest Lok Sabha polls together in Bihar

Seeking to end speculations about strains in the relations between NDA allies in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said JD(U) and BJP will together contest all 40 Lok Sabha seats from Bihar in the next general elections.

Kumar was responding to a question by journalists on the sidelines of his Janata Durbar about discordant voices in the NDA camp with both BJP and JD(U) announcing their readiness to go it alone in the next general elections slated for 2014.

He, however, declined to answer a question on BJP inviting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to attend the 'Hunkar rally' by the party in Patna next year.

Kumar had himself fuelled speculation in this regard by exhorting the people at several public meetings during his 'Adhikar Yatra' last month to vote for candidates supported by his government in all the 40 seats so that Bihar MPs could play a key role in the formation of the next government at the Centre and in the bargain ensure that his special status demand is granted.

Later, he cleared the confusion saying he meant that the 40 contestants would be both from JD(U) and BJP.

Recently, state BJP president C P Thakur had publicly said the party was geared to contest all 40 Lok Sabha seat on its own.

Several JD(U) leaders had responded by stating that their party too was prepared to so the same.

Kumar said the UPA II government at the Centre was 'self destroying ' itself by not ordering probe into charges of corruption and impropriety against AICC chief Sonia

Gandhi's son in-law Robert Vadra, former steel minister Virbhadra Singh and Law Minister Salman Khurshid.

On civil society member Arvind Kejriwal's charge of financial irregularities by the NGO run by Khurshid and his wife Louise, Kumar said if he has supporting documents the government should order a probe.

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