JD(U) Sharad Yadav faction nominates Veerendra Kumar for RS seat

The Sharad Yadav faction of the JD(U) in Kerala on Saturday decided to nominate its state president MP Veerendra Kumar as a candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls from the state, which it would contest with the ruling CPM-led LDF.

The decision to field Veerendra Kumar for the lone Rajya Sabha seat was taken at the party parliamentary meeting held here, party general secretary Sheik P Haris said.

The decision to nominate the 82-year-old leader was unanimous, he said.

However, he said Veerendra Kumar would file the nomination for the seat on March 12 as an independent as a case on the dispute over the party's flag and name at the national level was now pending before the Delhi High Court.

Polls are being held for the Rajya Sabha seat that had fallen vacant after Veerendra Kumar resigned from the Upper House to protest JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joining hands with the BJP-led NDA.

The LDF committee meeting held on Friday had extended support and offered the RS seat to the JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav faction that had quit the Congress-led UDF Opposition in January.

Harish said the party expected that the next LDF meeting would take a decision on making them a partner in the ruling front.

However, he said no discussions were held in the party with regard to merging with the JD(S), now a partner in the LDF.

"It is not on the agenda of our party now," he said.

Veerendra Kumar had earlier joined the UDF after snapping ties with LDF over differences with the CPM on the Kozhikode Lok Sabha seat in 2009.