Happy over success of 'experiment' with RJD, Cong: Nitish

With the "secular alliance" successfully halting a Bharatiya Janata Party victory in Bihar bypolls, an elated Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar today expressed satisfaction over the "experiment" and said the results would have been better had the parties discussed seat sharing in better way.

"The experiment we made through tie-up has proved successful. People have expressed their mind and mood in favour of it," a visibly happy Nitish Kumar told media persons. As per results and trend available so far, the secular alliance has won four seats and is ahead in two more seats. The BJP has won three seats and is ahead in one.

The BJP had bagged six seats out of the 10 in 2010 election while the Rashtriya Janata Dal had 3 and JD-U 1. The secular alliance has annexed two seats from BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Kumar said, "The results in the bypoll would have been better if we had taken a decision on seat sharing in a better way." In the bypolls, RJD and JD-U contested on four seats each while the Congress fought on two seats.

"But, still in a short span of time the alliance has managed a good show in the bypoll that has taken place a little after the general election in which the BJP had registered stupendous victory in Bihar," Kumar accompanied by state JD-U president Basistha Narayan Singh and state minister Shyam Rajak, said at his 7 Circular road residence.

"Though the results are satisfactory, we still need to do a lot in future for more better outcome," he said.

Kumar took the opportunity to attack the BJP. "They had made tall claims (of winning all 10 seats)...the results of bypoll have a clear message that people will not tolerate divisive politics," Kumar said, adding the voters have expressed their "displeasure" over the government at the Centre within a little time of its formation.

"They managed to win some seats but if their arrogance continued they will not have even this," the senior JD-U leader, who resigned from the post of chief minister in the wake of Parliamentary poll debacle, said.

He said, "The myth that BJP enjoys support of upper castes has also been broken in the bypoll."

"The secular alliance candidates (belonging to upper castes) have won at Parbatta, Jale, Bhagalpur and Chapra," he said. Asked that his reunion with Lalu was described as "immoral" by the opposition, the JD-U leader dismissed the charge.

"In 1967, the Congress and Jansangh had united, in 1977 Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan had brought together many parties to form Janata Party while V P Singh government enjoyed support of the Left as well the BJP," he said to justify his alliance with the RJD and the Congress.

"Today, BJP is in the centre of power so parties opposed to its policies will naturally unite against it," he said. On question of leadership of the alliance for assembly poll next year, Kumar said "every partner party will first discuss the issue within its own organisation and than will talk with each other at the appropriate time."

Kumar took potshots at BJP whose leaders have said that the state did not deserve special category status and said "while displaying this arrogance they forget the fact that Bihar contributed a lot in putting them in power in Delhi."