Bihar: Upendra Kushwaha Announces Name Change For His Party Amid Seat-Sharing Talks Within NDA

With an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Upendra Kushwaha affirmed the party's commitment to contesting all 40 seats in Bihar. Emphasizing their allegiance to the National Democratic Alliance.

RLJD chief Upendra Kushwaha announced his new party name Rastriya Lok Morcha ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: Former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha on Sunday made significant announcements during a presser, stating that his party's name formerly called 'Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal' (RLJD) has been changed to 'Rashtriya Lok Morcha'. This decision follows the approval received from the Election Commission. Party president Upendra Kushwaha confirmed that the official name of his party is now Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

Explaining the rationale behind the name change, Kushwaha revealed the challenges encountered during the registration process. Initially, the party sought registration under the name Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal but faced obstacles due to similarities with existing party names.

Consequently, the Election Commission requested alternative names, prompting Kushwaha to propose options such as Lok Janata Dal, Rashtriya Jan Morcha, United Samata Party, Secular Samata Party, and Democratic Samata Party. Ultimately, Rashtriya Lok Morcha emerged as the chosen name.

According to news agency ANI, he said, "The Election Commission said that our old name Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal is similar to the names of other parties registered with the Commission, so we gave 5-6 new names and the name Rashtriya Lok Morcha has been approved and our party has been registered with the Election Commission."

#WATCH | Bihar: Rashtriya Lok Janta Dal (RLJD) will now be known as Rashtriya Lok Morcha, says party president Upendra Kushwaha

"The Election Commission said that our old name Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal is similar to the names of other parties registered with the Commission, so we… pic.twitter.com/tfHBHdPcJj

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2024

He mentioned that after this, names like Rashtriya Lok Morcha, Lok Janta Dal, Rashtriya Jan Morcha, United Equality Party, Secular Equality Party, and Democratic Equality Party were suggested to the ECI.

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With an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Kushwaha stated that preparations are underway for his party on all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. "We will contest the Lok Sabha elections while remaining in the NDA. Only if we are strong on every seat, we will be able to help the NDA. Discussions are underway in NDA about how many seats we will contest in," he added.

He also remarked on his transition from JD(U) to NDA and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, stating, "I came from JD(U) to NDA, but I have no problem with Nitish. We ourselves wanted him to come out of the Mahagathbandhan. Nitish was under strain. He was uncomfortable. It was visible on his face."