LJP to contest polls along with RJD, Congress

New Delhi, Jan 30: Shedding his discomfort with

,

chief

on Thursday announced that the two parties, along with

, will contest the next Lok Sabha elections jointly in Bihar.

The three parties will now work out seat-sharing, he told PTI. "RJD-LJP and Congress will fight the next Lok Sabha polls together in Bihar. Now the talks among the three parties are only about the number of seats each of us will contest," he said.

He dismissed reports in the media about LJP apprehending losses by aligning with RJD. Paswan had earlier said that there are two views within the LJP on whether to align with Lalu Prasad's RJD or Nitish Kumar's JD (U) and that he had left this decision to Congress.

Today, he said a view has gradually emerged that "it is this alliance of RJD-LJP and Congress" which can pose a formidable challenge to the BJP, which is a "communal force".

The three parties will now work out seat-sharing.

He met Congress President Sonia Gandhi yesterday for the second time in the last one month to discuss the issue of poll alliance in Bihar. LJP sources said later that Paswan told Gandhi that his party will not talk to Lalu Prasad on the issue of seat-sharing, reflecting the unease between the two parties.

Paswan accompanied by his son and LJP Parliamentary Board Chairman Chirag Paswan had also made it clear to Gandhi that LJP, which had contested on 12 Lok Sabha seats, will like to contest on at least 10 seats this time.

Party sources said that LJP has already given to AICC General Secretary in charge of Bihar C P Joshi a list of 10 seats it wants to contest.

It includes nine of the 12 seats LJP had contested in 2009 where it came second. It had lost all seats. Prasad had also met Sonia Gandhi once and Rahul Gandhi twice to discuss the alliance.

PTI