JD-U names Khiru Mahto as RS nominee from Bihar

After a long wait, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on late Sunday night finally named its Jharkhand unit president -- Khiru Mahto, for the Rajya Sabha elections.

The party has denied the ticket to Union Steel Minister RCP Singh -- considered as BJP sympathiser in the JD-U.

Hence, he was in the "target list" of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other party leaders like national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh a.k.a. Lalan Singh, JD-U parliamentary board president Upendra Kushwaha and party's state president Umesh Kushwaha.

"We have selected Khiru Mahto as Rajya Sabha candidate of JD-U from Bihar," Lalan Singh said.

"It was a unanimous choice to select Khiru Mahto. The actual idea is to strengthen the position of our chief minister, Nitish Kumar," he added.

According to sources, Nitish Kumar had already decided to not to name RCP Singh.