Fissures among UPA allies in Bihar; NCP says it will contest Katihar seat

The NCP on Sunday said it will field a four-time party MLA from the Kaithar Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by Tariq Anwar, who had quit the party to join the Congress last year.

In Bihar, the Congress is a constituent of the Grand Alliance along with the RJD and other parties like the RLSP and HAM(S) and the NCP is not a part of it.

Sources close to Tanwar said he will be in the fray from the same seat, which has not gone down well with the NCP.

Anwar had earlier quit the Congress along with Sharad Pawar and P A Sangma over the issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin.

"There is no doubt we will contest from Katihar. We had won it in 2014," NCP's National General Secretary and party's chief spokesperson D P Tripathi told PTI.

Party sources said the issue had come up for discussion when Tripathi met Rashtriya Janata Dal President Lalu Prasad, who is admitted in a hospital in Ranchi, last week.

Tripathi said Mohammad Shakoor, a four-time MLA from Bihar, will be the party's ..