Nitish to be the chief guest of rebeL BSP leader's rally sparking off speculations of a tie-up

Lucknow: Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar will be the chief guest at BSP rebel RK Chaudhary’s rally on Tuesday, fanning speculations of a tie-up between his party and the latter’s Bahujan Samaj Swabhiman Sangharsh Samiti for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. [caption id=“attachment_2902328” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Nitish Kumar. Reuters[/caption] “Nitish Kumar will be the chief guest at the BS-4 rally scheduled to be held at Bijli Pasi Qila on Tuesday,” Chaudhary, a Dalit leader and once a close confidant of BSP supremo Mayawati, told reporters on Monday. Chaudhary quit BSP on 30 June accusing Mayawati of “auctioning” tickets for the upcoming elections, a charge leveled by three other party leaders who too resigned, including Swami Prasad Maurya, an OBC leader. “At the time of elections, tickets are allotted to those who pay the highest amount,” Chaudhary and Maurya had alleged. Testing the political waters in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Kumar has been holding rallies in the state, particularly in the eastern parts, promising prohibition among other things to the voters. Tomorrow’s rally assumes significance on account of his presence as chief guest in the run-up to the polls.