NDA 'deserter' Kushwaha to meet Rahul and Tejashwi today; Likely to join Bihar Mahagathbandhan

New Delhi, Dec 20: Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha, who snapped ties with the NDA and resigned as union minister from the Modi cabinet last month, is likely to join the Bihar Mahagathbandhan on Thursday, said reports.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi and a Congress representative are likely to be present during the announcement. Opposition leader Sharad Yadav may also attend the event.

Kushwaha severed ties with the BJP over the issue of seat sharing in Bihar for next year's Lok Sabha elections. Kushwaha is considering joining the UPA. Kushwaha on Sunday said joining the Congress-led mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) is "one of the many options" before him and a final decision is yet to be taken.

Kushwaha is also facing a revolt from within RLSP. All its members in the Bihar Assembly declared that they were still with the NDA as they accused Kushwaha of pursuing personal interests in announcing a break-up with the coalition.

Kushwaha, however, tried to downplay the rumblings within his party. "When I reached Patna airport on Sunday, the enthusiasm I saw among party workers was much greater than the jubilation expressed over my becoming a Union minister in 2014," he said.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had met Kushwaha after the latter quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The UPA believes that Kushwaha's decision to join it will help it build a momentum against the NDA in Bihar. Besides BJP, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP are other constituents of the NDA.