Ranchi, June 21: RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav today said his party would support Congress candidate Banna Gupta in the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha bypoll, scheduled on July1.
“We agreed to support the Congress candidate after (AICC leader) Shakeel Ahmed called up this morning and appealed to us to lend support to Congress to ensure secular votes did not split,” Yadav told PTI over phone from Delhi.
“I appeal to all my party leaders and activists to whole heartedly campaign and ensure the Congress candidate's win in the bypoll to strengthen all the secular forces,” Yadav said. Welcoming the party supremo's decision, RJD's Jharkhand Legislature Party leader Annapurna Devi said that all the party MLAs and office-bearers would be informed to start campaigning for the Congress candidate and ensure his victory.”
There are 20 candidates in the fray for the Jamshedpur bypoll, including Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric) candidate and former IPS officer Ajay Kumar, JMM candidate and former deputy chief minister Sudhir Mahto, BJP's state unit president Dinesanand Goswami and JMM rebel and Trinamool Congress candidate Suman Mahto.
The seat fell vacant after Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda quit the seat following his victory in the Kharsawan Assembly bypoll in February. PTI
