JD-U to bolster caste support through RLSP merger
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Manoj Pathak ( IANS) |
Published on
Wed, Mar 17 2021 17:48 IST |
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Bihar: Nitish Kumar meets Upendra Kushwaha, sparks speculation. Image Source: IANS News
Patna, March 17 : Caste-based politics has always been a feature of Bihar s politics and the merger of Upendra Kushwaha s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) with the ruling Janata Dal-United is seen as an effort of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to strengthen its support base.
With the merger, Nitish Kumar is looking to target the Kurmi and Kushwaha voters, and thus, the development is also likely to pose a big challenge for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Bihar: What Nitish Kumar and JD(U) Hope To Achieve Through Upendra Kushwahaâs Merger
The chief minister s party believes that the support of Koiris, the caste that Kushwaha belongs to, will re-energise it. But it may not be so simple.
Upendra Kushwaha and Nitish Kumar on March 14, 2021, after the former merged the RLSP with the JD(U). Photo: PTI
Politics15/Mar/2021
Patna: The merger of Upendra Kushwaha led Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) into Nitish Kumarâs Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] is, apparently, part of the Bihar chief ministerâs initiative to reach out to the Koiris â a backward caste that is electorally significant â to make up for the heavy losses that his party suffered in the 2020 assembly elections.
RLSP merges with JD(U), Kushwaha made parliamentary board chief
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We’ll work under leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, says former Union Minister
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Bihar Chief minister Nitish Kumar welcomes RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha at the JD(U) headquarters in Patna, March 14, 2021
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We’ll work under leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, says former Union Minister
After much flip-flop, the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) on Sunday merged with Bihar ruling Janata Dal (United) and its chief and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha was appointed as president of the JD(U) parliamentary board.
Upendra Kushwaha s Party Leaders Join RJD Ahead Of Likely Return To NDA Upendra Kushwaha s Party Leaders Join RJD Ahead Of Likely Return To NDA The RLSP leaders who joined the RJD in presence of its de facto leader Tejashwi Yadav included state working president Virendra Kushwaha, state principal secretary general Nirmal Kushwaha and state head of womens cell Madhu Manjari Mehta.
RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav gives party member slip to RLSP working president Virendra Kushwaha.
Patna:
Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) suffered a major split on Friday when more than 30 state and district level office bearers of the party in Bihar walked over to the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
“We intended to uproot Nitish from the state. Kushwaha, however, backed off and is now planning to join hands with the same Nitish. We are now joining RJD with the same commitment of dethroning Nitish. The momentum that we had earlier for RLSP will now throttle us to work under the leadership of Tejashwi and Jagadanand Singh for the uplift of those marginalised,” said Virendra Kushwaha, who joined RJD on Friday in the same sequence.
Speaking on the occasion, Tejashwi on Friday alleged that Nitish is a weak CM. He (Nitish) is busy saving ministers with criminal antecedents, Tejashwi alleged. He said Nitish had no control over crime and corruption. He also charged Nitish for distorting facts and misguiding Biharis on key issues.