New Delhi: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh on Friday told Rahul Gandhi that he is in talks with Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Ram Vilas Paswan for the upcoming Bihar polls, sources said.
Ealier on July 3, the Congress held a meeting via video-conference to discuss its strategy for the impending Bihar state Assembly elections. All top leaders from Bihar took part in the meeting which was also attended by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
According to sources, Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar Akhilesh Prasad Singh told Rahul Gandhi that LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan has called him four times. Singh claimed that he is in talks with Paswan, who is ready to join the Mahagathbandhan.
Though he did not respond to Singh's claims, sources revealed that Gandhi keenly listened to him.
The sources added that Singh wants to meet the Congress high command and discuss the matter further.
Further, leaders at the meeting called for a coordination committee to choose a CM candidate. According to sources, the Congress is not keen on having RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the CM candidate.
Read: Chirag prepares LJP for Bihar polls, wants it to contest on 43 seats
The development comes amid reports of friction within the Bihar NDA, with the LJP wanting to contest on more seats than it is being offered by the BJP.
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan wants his party to contest on 43 out of the total 243 assembly seats with NDA in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, sources said.
They said he is also unhappy over the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) being given more importance in the ruling alliance NDA, and that he has been meeting his party leaders and workers to prepare the strategy for the polls, to be held later this year.
Read: Cracks within Bihar NDA as Tejashwi offers more seats to woo Paswan
