The daughter of Loktantrik chief Janata Dal (LJD) Sharad Yadav, Subhashini Raj Rao, and former Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Secretary General Kali Prasad Pandey joined Congress on Wednesday, weeks before the assembly elections of Bihar.
While Pandey submitted his nomination as a congressional candidate for the upcoming Kuchaikote constituency elections, the party is expected to present Rao from the Bihariganj seat, according to people familiar with the matter.
Welcoming the two into the party’s fold, Bihar’s head of Congress Madan Mohan Jha said their union will strengthen the Mahagathbandhan, or Grand Alliance, in the state.
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Addressing journalists at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, Rao, 30, She said that her father always supported the Grand Alliance and that she is taking responsibility for carrying out the fight in the state.
“I thank Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for giving me this opportunity. Sharad Yadav is not actively participating in the Bihar elections because he is unwell. He has always supported the Mahagathbandhan. It is my responsibility to carry out this fight and take Bihar to greater heights, ”he said.
Pandey said it was a homecoming and said, “I am honored to have joined Congress.”
Pandey, 74, he had expanded his support for former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 as a member of the Lok Sabha. In 1980, Pandey won the Bihar assembly elections as an independent candidate, and then won the 1984 elections in Gopalganj’s Lok Sabha.
“This is my old home and I’m happy to be back in my old home,” he said.
Congress has so far declared 21 candidates for the first phase of the elections to be held on October 28.
The second and third phases will take place on November 3 and 7.
The results are scheduled to be announced on November 10.
While the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is contesting 144 of the state’s 243 seats, Congress will present its candidates at 70. As part of the Mahagathbandhan, left-wing parties are competing for 29 seats.
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