Bihar: RJD Union minister meets Gandhi

Senior Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Union minister P C Gupta held a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday.

The meeting was held close on the heels of the RJD claiming it had the required numbers to form the new government of secular parties in Bihar.

• NDA stakes claim in Jharkhand

Gupta is a close associate of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Gupta's interaction with Gandhi, who is also the United Progressive Alliance chairperson, took place hours before Lok Janshakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan was to meet her to discuss the situation in Bihar.

The RJD has been claiming that it has the required number of members of Legislative Assembly to prove its majority in the state assembly.

• No pact with BJP, RJD: Paswan to Sonia

"The next government will be of the RJD with support of other UPA allies, including the Left parties and the NCP [Nationalist Congress Party]," Yadav has claimed.