UPA-Left meeting on October 14 to finalise candidates

Patna, Oct 12 (UNI) Lok Janashakti Party(LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan today said the issue of fielding a common candidate of secular parties for Nalanda, Bhagalpur and Koderma constituencies in the coming by-elections in Bihar and Jharkhand would be resolved at a meeting of the UPA partners with Left parties on October 14.

Talking to reporters on the sideline of LJP workers' meeting here, Mr Paswan said that his party would support the CPI candidate in Nalanda consituency while at Bhagalpur, LJP would throw its weight in favour of the CPI(M), provided UPA did not field any candidate.

''We shall have to review the ground situation if the Congress put up a candidate at Bhagalpur despite presence of CPI(M),'' he said.

''On October 10 last, Lalu Prasad of RJD and Ahmad Patel from the Congress had a meeting with me in New Delhi although any final decision was deferred till October 14, when the views of CPI and CPI(M) would also be taken into account,'' Mr Paswan said.

No decision had yet been taken about contesting the Koderma seat in Jharkhand, Mr Paswan declared.

Pledging support to CPI at Nalanda even if any of the UPA constituents put up candidates, the LJP supremo said ''CPI is our all weather friend''.

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