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PATNA, BIHAR
Anybody To Tame Laloo?

The anti-Laloo phalanx is in the throes of serious flux. In recent weeks, there had been efforts from the JD(U) to rope in Paswan. Two senior leaders, George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar, even dangled the CM’s post before Paswan in the event of a win. But chances of unity were marred when BJP vice-president Sushil Kumar Modi revealed that whatever efforts Nitish has been making was at the behest of party president L.K. Advani. This came at a time when Paswan, a minister at the Centre, was under pressure from UPA leaders to explain his stand on his party’s moves to side with an NDA partner.

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A visibly upset Paswan branded Modi’s statement as false. "I have told JD(U) leaders that if they want to join me they have to snap ties with the BJP," he reiterated. Paswan, who quit the NDA and aligned with the RJD in the last Lok Sabha polls, is now trying to make everyone believe that he would have no truck with either the BJP or the RJD.

Meanwhile, there is bickering over seat-sharing in the RJD-Congress camp. Four rounds of talks have not resolved the problem. The Congress is demanding 100-plus seats in the 243-strong assembly, but the RJD has not shown any sign of yielding more than 35. In the current assembly, RJD has 120 seats, the Congress 11, the JD(U) 42 and BJP 35.

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By Faizan Ahmad

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