Ailing Rashtriya Janata Dal ( RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav will return to Patna from New Delhi on Wednesday and meet top functionaries and lawmakers of his party for the first time since their return to power in Bihar.
“The RJD chief will give his blessings to the party lawmakers and other functionaries…,” said RJD leader Jagdanand Singh.
Another leader, Sanjay Yadav, said the RJD chief is expected to travel to Hajipur on Friday in connection with a court case related to the violation of the election code of conduct
The RJD chief, who was recovering from a hairline fracture and was hospitalised in Patna and in New Delhi in July, may also meet chief minister Nitish Kumar amid much speculation about the latter’s possible role in national politics.
A functionary of the ruling alliance said the two will meet in the coming weeks and send a political message of unity among the socialists and strengthening Opposition forces ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls.
RJD and Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) parted ways in 2017 before the two parties allied again this month to form the government.
There is no confirmation when Kumar will expand his new Cabinet even though he has said it will be done any time after August 15. “We will get to know of the date of Cabinet expansion soon,” said a third RJD leader, indicating the date of the swearing of the new ministers has not been decided yet.
Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav took oath on August 10 and the RJD chief is believed to have been keen on returning to Patna to attend the swearing-in ceremony but was advised against doing so. RJD is the largest party in the ruling Grand Alliance with 79 lawmakers.
