Patna: Yet another election front formed in Patna on Thursday. This is in addition to five other fronts floated recently for Bihar assembly elections.
The new Grand Democratic Secular Front is headed by the president of Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) Upendra Kushwaha, a former minister in Narendra Modi-led NDA government.
The new front consists of Bahujan Samaj Party of Mayawati, Samajwadi Janata Dal of Devendra Prasad Yadav, a former union minister, AIMIM and RLSP.
The new combination is aiming at attracting Muslims, Yadavs, Dalits and Kushwaha voters which may affect the prospects of the RJD and JDU, the two parties having identical vote base. The new alliance leaders are influential in their respective pockets.
Asauddin Owaisi, president of the All India Majliese-Intehad ul Muslimeen (AIMIM), said Kushwaha would be the chief ministerial candidate of the new alliance.
Addressing a press conference here, Owaisi said his party would contest 50 constituencies, mostly in the Seeamnchal regions of Purnia, Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar districts with majority population of minorities.
Owaisi accused the JDU national president Nitish Kumar of having double standards on NRC and NPR and alleged that the Bihar chief minister has no love for the minorities as he was associated with the BJP.
By projecting Kushwaha as its CM candidate, the new alliance would work to split the OBC votes which were cornered by JDU till now. Owasisi's party made an entry into the state assembly earlier when its candidate, Akhtarul Iman was elected from Kishanganj.
The Grand Alliance today released the list of its candidates for 43 constituencies.
The Jan Aaadhikar Party of Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav leads another front having the support of Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Baba Saheb Ambedkar.
The former union minister and rebel BJP leader Yashwant Sinha had tried to float Third Front and had covered the entire state during the lockdown period to know the mood of the people. His front could not take off as his followers joined the mainstream national and regional parties.
