Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday said he was not averse to Rashtriya Janata Dal support in forming a government in Bihar.
The statement came on a day when his party's rebels claimed the support of 22 of the 29 LJP legislators.
If the number claimed by the rebels is accurate, it means they have the two-thirds majority needed to break away from the party without coming under the anti-defection law.
Meanwhile, the president of the dissolved unit of the LJP, Narendra Singh, on Monday ruled out the possibility of a split in the state unit and said the elected LJP MLAs were in favour of formation of a non-RJD government in Bihar.
Singh, however, said that due to the stubborn attitude of the party chief Paswan, the elected LJP MLAs were in a rebellious mood as they felt that the formation of a RJD government was in the offing.
Singh said the recent transfer of Siwan and Gopalganj district magistrates and the appointment of Arun Pathak as an advisor to the governor proved beyond doubt that the RJD president, Lalu Prasad Yadav, was trying to stage a 'comeback into state politics and capture power through back doors'.
He said that because of this the LJP MLAs are left with no choice but to oppose Lalu Yadav's return to power.
Singh charged the Congress with working under the pressure of the RJD president and said in the given circumstances, the LJP MLAs have been left with no choice but to support Nitish Kumar's efforts for formation of a popular government in Bihar.
Singh also suggested that the party president should shelve his 'stubborn' attitude so that a non-RJD government could be formed in the state.
"I have already approached Paswan for giving a go-ahead signal for forming a government led by Nitish Kumar after the Congress and the RJD rejected his (Paswan) formula for forming a Congress-led government in the state," he said.
