Bihar Elections: Sharad Yadav's daughter Subhashini Raj Rao to join Congress, get ticket

Ahead of Bihar Assembly elections 2020, Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) chief Sharad Yadav's daughter Subhashini Raj Rao is all set to join Congress in the national capital on Wednesday. She will also contest in the forthcoming Bihar polls, reported news agency ANI. Sources said that she may be given the ticket from Bihariganj constituency in Madhepura district. 

Earlier, ending speculation over rejoining hands with CM Nitish Kumar, Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) had clarified that its patron Sharad Yadav will work to bring the opposition alliance to power in Bihar. In a statement, the LJD vowed to strive hard to bring "more cohesion among the secular forces" in the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar. However, ignored by the RJD as well as the Congress to make him part of Grand Alliance, former union minister Sharad Yadav's party announced that it will contest 51 out of total 243 assembly seats in Bihar on its own.

Sharad Yadav, who was one of the trusted lieutenants of Nitish Kumar, was removed from the leader of Rajya Sabha in 2017 after he publically condemned Nitish for quitting the grand alliance. Yadav then challenged the disqualification in the Delhi High Court and the case is still pending. Though Sharad Yadav in May 2018 formed his own party - Loktantrik Janata Dal - he unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Madhepura on RJD ticket and lost. 

READ | Sharad Yadav's LJD to contest 51 seats in Bihar polls alone

Seat-sharing formula of RJD-Cong alliance 

Congress is contesting on 70 seats in Bihar as the party agreed to a seat-sharing deal of 144-70 with the RJD. Three other Communist parties are also part of Mahagathbandhan and are contesting on 29 seats. Tejashwi Yadav has been declared its CM face. 

Bihar assembly elections

This year's Bihar elections will witness the clash of as many as five alliances. The ruling JDU-BJP is contesting along with Mukesh Sahni's VIP and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), while LJP has decided to go solo. The Mahagathbandhan led by RJD has lost many key allies and is contesting with Congress and three left parties, with Lalu Yadav's son Tejashwi as CM face.

On 28 September, Pappu Yadav who is eyeing a comeback in politics of Bihar stitched an alliance of his party Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) with Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party', MK Faizi's Social Democratic Party and Bahujan Mukti Party. They named it the Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA). On the other side, confident after his party's victory in byelections, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has teamed up with Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP, Mayawati's BSP, Devendra Yadav's SJDD, and SBSP as the 'Grand Democratic Secular Front' to contest the upcoming polls. 

READ | Bihar Election 2020 turns rap battle: 'Is baar Tejashwi tayy hai' replies Lalu Yadav's RJD

Bihar goes to polls in three phases for its 243 assembly seats on October 28, November 3 and November 7. Keeping in view the COVID-19 protocol, the voting time has been increased by one hour. The counting of votes will take place on November 10. In the 2015 state polls, the Mahagatbandhan comprising RJD, JD(U) and Congress won a whopping majority with 178 seats under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. On the other hand, the BJP-led alliance won from only 58 constituencies. On July 26, 2017, Nitish Kumar stepped down as the CM citing irreconcilable differences with RJD over corruption allegations against Tejashwi Yadav and joined hands with its former ally BJP.

READ | Bihar polls: Sharad Yadav ends rumours on 'wapsi', LJD says 'will work with Opposition'

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