After days of talks brokered by Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Janata Parivar finally announced on Monday that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will lead the assembly battle in Bihar with the support of foe-turned-friend Lalu Prasad. Mulayam Singh made the much-awaited announcement in New Delhi where Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad declared that no one from his family was keen on being the chief ministerial candidate. "It is the need of the hour that we all get united to stop the BJP," Lalu Prasad, who cannot run for office due to his conviction in a corruption case, told the media. "I assure secular powers... we are ready to make all sacrifices for this battle. I will drink poison but will defeat the communal forces," said the former chief minister. Mulayam Singh said: "I give special thanks to Lalu Prasad that he suggested Nitish Kumar's name for the chief ministerial candidate."
