Monday, January 17 2005 18:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: : RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) president Laloo Prasad today (Jan 17, 2005) claimed that former Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Sarfaraz Ahmed had already joined his party and said his party had given a ticket to him (Ahmed) to contest from Gandey Assembly constituency in Jharkhand.

"Ahmed has joined us and he will be our candidate from Gandey," Laloo told a press conference while releasing separate lists of his party candidates for 58 seats in Bihar and 21 seats in Jharkhand going to poll in the first phase on February 3.

Ahmed was not present at the press conference.

Meanwhile, State Congress president Ramjatan Sinha has accused the LJP (Lok Janshakti Party) and RJD of engineering defection in friendly parties by awarding party's nomination to Ahmed and another senior Congress leader Ramashray Prasad Singh to enter the poll fray "in violation of the spirit of the alliance."

Singh had yesterday switched over to the LJP after resigning from the primary membership of his parent party.