Loktantrik Janata Dal with Sharad Yadav as mentor to be formally launched on May 18

Aiming to stitch an alliance of non-BJP parties to oust the NDA major from power and introduce “politics of socialism”, supporters of rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav will formally launch their party Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) here on May 18. The party is being formed with Yadav as its "mentor", a leader of the rebel group Arun Srivastava told reporters here.

The foundation convention will be held at Talkatora Stadium, where around 8,000 members of the LJD are expected to converge on the day, Srivastava added.

“Yadav ji will be present on the occasion besides other senior leaders like (currently independent) MP Veerendra Kumar. The party aims to introduce a new kind of politics,” he said.

Srivastava said the LJD is being floated as the matter relating to “which is the original JD(U)” is pending before court. After the Nitish Kumar-headed JD(U) decided to switch to the NDA fold last year, a faction of the party had opposed. The faction had approached the Election Commission, contending “it was the real JD(U) and not the one led by Kumar”.

“We are politicians and needed a party to contest elections. Since the matter is pending before the court, we decided to float the party. We will make efforts to bring all the anti-BJP parties together ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to oust the party which is posing threat to democracy,” Srivastava said.

He said Yadav has already been making efforts to bring non-BJP parties on a common platform through his ‘Preserve Composite Culture' campaign.

Srivastava added that the decision whether Yadav and other senior leaders with join the LJD or not will be taken based on the court case verdict.

He said that the LJD, with former Rajasthan minister Fateh Singh as the president, will pay special attention to issues concerning farmers, workers, weaker and marginalised sections, the youth and women.