Friday, June 3 2005 15:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: As part of its "fool-proof" strategy to fight Laloo Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the Bihar Assembly elections, Janata Dal United (JDU) and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) have drawn up plans to accommodate rebel Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leaders and MLAs as also Independents in ticket distribution.

"We will fine tune our strategy and make it fool-proof. We will have better coordination this time and work on a Common Minimum Programme aimed at all round development of Bihar," senior (JDU) leader Nitish Kumar told in New Delhi.

Asked if accommodating new faces would not lead to the problem of rebel candidates, Kumar discounted such a possibility saying such a situation would not crop up. He said only minor adjustments were needed to be carried out in ticket distribution this time.

Identifying the late launching of campaign as a "mistake" committed during the last election, he said that this time campaign would be kicked off after the middle of this month for the Assembly elections later this year (2005), as indicated by the Election Commission.

Asked what advantages National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had compared to RJD-Congress, he said it was not very clear last time, whether the polls would mark the end of Laloo-rule. "But, people have realised that it is possible to remove Laloo-Rabri regime and now the electorate will vote us en bloc," he said.

"The people of Bihar have become aware. There will be no hung verdict this time. They will give a decisive mandate. People will vote for change. In other words, people will vote for NDA," the (JDU) leader asserted.

Asked about the issues to be raised by the NDA in course of electioneering, Kumar said the main topic would be to highlight the "injustice done to us by forcing dissolution of the House by RJD".

The fact that RJD leader and Union Minister Prasad "forced" the dissolution of the State Assembly is evident from the public statement of his cabinet colleague and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan that Laloo had threatened Sonia Gandhi that if his wife Rabri Devi failed to become the Chief Minister, he would topple the Government at the Centre, the (JDU) leader said.

"So, we will ensure that the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly boomerangs on the RJD and people will vote for us in sympathy," he said.

The other electoral issues would be law and order situation in the State and restoration of social amity for all round development including provision of irrigation facilities, power, health care and setting up of schools.

Replying to a question, he said that Paswan's party would bite the dust this time, as people have realised the mistake of voting for him. "Though LJP won on anti-RJD plank, it refused to support anti-RJD parties for installation of a Government. People will not forgive Paswan," he said adding, "Nobody takes him seriously any more".

The JDU leader said that with LJP virtually "out of reckoning", it would be a straight fight between NDA and RJD- Congress "and we will have the upper hand".

NDA has declared that JDU leader Nitish Kumar would continue to be projected as the Chief Ministerial candidate in the next Assembly polls in Bihar.