The merger of six parties of the 'Janata Parivar', including Bihar's ruling JD-U and its ally RJD, cheered hundreds of their leaders and workers who felt relieved and ecstatic after the long-awaited development finally occurred in New Delhi on Wednesday.
A group of party leaders and workers distributed sweets at the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) offices here to express their happiness.
"We are really happy, now we are a united party," JD-U worker Manoj Chandrawanshi said after the six parties' merger into a single-entity to take on Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in the forthcoming state elections was announced.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose Samajwadi Party is one of the merged entities, is the president of the newly-launched Samajwadi Janata Party (SJP).
Dinesh Kumar, an RJD worker, said that merger will strengthen the social support base of Lalu and Nitish."Both represent social justice and development that will consolidate their social support ahead of next state assembly polls."
JD-U state president Vashisht Narain Singh and RJD state president Ramchandra Purbey here welcomed the merger.
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"We welcome it as it was demand of the time and would fulfil the aspirations of people," said Abdul Bari Siddiqui, who was RJD's legislature party leader in Bihar assembly.
Bihar Food Supply Minister Shayam Razak said much awaited dream of an united party of Janata Parivar has turned a reality."It is a big development to defeat BJP in next Bihar assembly polls later this year and other polls later on."
JD-U spokesperson Ajay Alok said formal announcement of merger has offered a big relief to hundreds of thousands of workers and supporters of Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad.
After months of speculations, six parties of Janata Parivar merged to form a new party with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh as its president.
The merger decision was announced here by JD-U president Sharad Yadav after a meeting of six parties that included Janata Dal-Secular, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Indian National Lok Dal and Samajwadi Janata Party.
Meanwhile, following the merger, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said he would stake claim on JD-U's election symbol and party flag and told media here that he would contest the next state assembly polls with JD-U symbol and its flag.
"We will contest next state assembly with JD-U's symbol -- arrow and white and green flag," Manjhi said.
Terming the merger as 'maha-parlay'(disaster) and said that the merger of JD-U and RJD of Lalu Prasad as immoral and unholy, he claimed having the suppoprt of 18 JD-U legislators and one MP.
"Everything will be known to all soon," Manjhi said.
Manjhi, who last month launched Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and hinted to form a political party at his scheduled rally on April 20 in Patna, said that both Lalu and Nitish Kumar have lost their support base either among Dalit or Mahadalits, Other Backward Class (OBCs) and Economically Backward Classes (EBCs).
Announcing the decision to merge parties, Sharad Yadav said decisions about election symbol of the new party, its flag and other issues will be taken by presidents of all constituent parties in consultation with Mulayam Singh Yadav.