Ahead of polls, Bihar's Pappu Yadav merges JAP with Congress
Prominent Bihar politician Pappu Yadav on Wednesday merged his Jan Adhikar Party with the Congress in New Delhi. Addressing the event, Pappu said, "The honor that the entire Congress family has given is enough for us. Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have given us a lot of love," he said. Speculations of the merger were doing rounds since Pappu met Rashtriya Janata Dal President Lalu Prasad Yadav at his residence last night.
Why does this story matter?
Pappu aka Rajesh Ranjan founded the the JAP in 2015 as a response to the coalition between Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) Lalu Prasad's RJD. Amid a shift in political landscape, Pappu has expressed his desire to contest the 2024 polls from Purnia seat, under the banner of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. Pappu's inclusion in the INDIA fold may bolster the alliance's chances in Bihar—especially considering Kumar's recent departure had dealt a heavy blow to the opposition bloc.
Pappu Yadav voices trust in Congress leadership
Praising Gandhi during his address on Wednesday, Pappu said that there is no replacement for the Congress leader in today's political landscape. He also talked about his strong emotional bond with Lalu Prasad and lauded Tejashwi Yadav for building trust during his 17-month tenure as Bihar's deputy CM. He also expressed optimism about upcoming elections and said, "Together with Lalu ji and the Congress, we will win 2024 and 2025 [assembly elections]."
Read: Pappu's statement here
NDA shares Bihar seat allocation for Lok Sabha polls
On Monday, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Monday announced the distribution of seats among its coalition members in Bihar. Out of the 40 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest 17 seats. The JD(U) will contest 16 seats and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party will compete for five seats. Notably, the 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar will cast their votes in seven phases spreading over 43 days.
