Genre: News > India Election 2009

March 21, 2009: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said on Saturday that he may contest the three seats earlier left for the Congress party after the latter announced its list of of 37 candidates for Bihar.

 

Lalu said that Congress had no vote base in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

He added that their party didn't ask Congress for any seats other than in Bihar and Jharkhand.

 

On the other hand, Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh said that they had left Rae Bareilly and Amethi to Congress owing to respect and friendship.

 

Singh added that Jayaprada would contest from Rampur and there would be no change there.

 

But, Lalu refused to criticize Sonia Gandhi personally and instead blamed the ‘munshis' and ‘managers' around the Congress President for the breakdown in seat sharing agreement.

Adding that there was no seat sharing formula now and that Congress was free to field candidates anywhere, he ruled out a break up of the UPA alliance.

He also asked media persons not to refer to Sadhu Yadav as Lalu's brother-in-law or Rabri's brother, after Sadhu joined the Congress.

Lalu also announced that RJD will field candidates in four Jharkhand constituencies, Chandigarh and Kala Pani (Port Blair).

He added that he would campaign for Samajwadi Party if they approach him.

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Background

Congress and its allies formed the UPA government after the General Elections in 2004. Senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh was then appointed the Prime Minister after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi refused to accept the post.

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