Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP) national president Mukesh Sahni on Sunday joined Bihar's grand alliance in the presence of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Tejashwi Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha.
Welcoming Sahni in the grand alliance fold, RJD leader Yadav said, "I would like to welcome Mukesh Sahni, son of Mallah, to our grand alliance, and I believe that he joining the grand alliance will strengthen it. The way the atmosphere of emergency has been created in the country and the public mandate has been insulted in Bihar, I am confident that in upcoming elections grand alliance will register a big win."
"We are all united for saving the constitution, for the betterment of Bihar and for the welfare of farmers and youth," he added.
Speaking on the occasion, RLSP chief Kushwaha, who recently joined the grand alliance took a dig at a seat-sharing arrangement between BJP, JD (U) and LJP and said, "With today's move LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan ji has confirmed his Rajya Sabha candidature because he realises that his party won't be winning any seats in the general elections. There has been equal seat sharing between BJP and JDU. People were expressing surprise over (Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U chief) Nitish Kumar getting so many seats but the person who can snatch anyone's plate can surely snatch seats."
"The 56-inch chest has bent down before Nitish ji. He, however, would have realised that Bihar people are not going to forgive him. Let's wait for the elections," he said in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Earlier in the day, BJP president Amit Shah had announced that his party would contest on 17 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, while an equal number of seats will go to the JD(U). Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP will contest on six seats.