‘Putting up a united front’: Nitish, Tejashwi to attend Rahul’s Nyay Yatra on Jan 30

In a sign of thaw in ties between the Congress and the Janata Dal(United), Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar has agreed to take part in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay Yatra in Purnea on January 30. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav will also attend the Purnea rally.

This was confirmed by Congress MLC and senior party leader Prem Chandra Mishra on Monday. “Rahul Gandhi will enter Bihar (from West Begal) on January 29 through Kishanganj and will attend a rally in Purnea on January 30. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has confirmed his participation in the Purnea rally,” Mishra told reporters, adding that Rahul would further travel to Araria and Katihar before re-entering West Bengal on February 1.

The Kishanganj Lok Sabha seat is currently held by the Congress. It is the only seat that the Mahagathbandhan won in the 2019 general elections. The Congress has focused on the Seemanchal region, comprising the Lok Sabha seats of Kishanganj, Araria, Purnea and Katihar. At present, the JD(U) represents Purnea and Katihar seats, while the BJP represents Araria.

Mishra, who has been made the chairman of the media committee for the Yatra, said Rahul’s yatra would cover 425 km and seven districts of Bihar in two phases… “In the second leg, of which the schedule will be shared in due course, the Yatra will cover south Bihar districts of Aurangabad, Kaimur and Rohtas,” he said.

Lack of consensus on seat-sharing in Bihar for the Lok Sabha elections has led to speculation of frosty ties between the Congress and the JD(U). Nitish’s consent to attend the rally is being seen as a move to show solidarity among the INDIA bloc allies.

A JD(U) leader said: “We were never averse to Congress’s