Nitish Kumar May Skip Mulayam Singh Yadav's Party's Anniversary Bash: Sources

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to give a miss to the Samajwadi Party's big anniversary bash on Saturday to which he has been invited by party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, sources close to the Chief Minister have said.

While Mr Kumar is likely to cite personal reasons - he will be observing the Chhat Puja, one of Bihar's biggest religious festivals - Janata Dal United chief Sharad Yadav will attend the SP bash. So will Ajit Singh, the leader of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, which has a strong voter base among the Jats in western Uttar Pradesh, sources said.

The SP anniversary bash comes as Mulayam Singh Yadav -- ahead of next year's elections in Uttar Pradesh -- is feeling out the possibility of a Grand Alliance akin to the one that swept last year's assembly elections in Bihar beating the BJP, which was hoping for a huge victory.

In Uttar Pradesh, Mr Yadav's ruling SP is seeking mandate against the challenge of the BJP - which won 71 of the state's 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 -- and a rejuvenated Bahujan Samaj Party led by Mayawati.

His invitation to Mr Kumar and the Janata Dal United leaders is seen as an olive branch to the party after he dropped out of Bihar's Grand Alliance ahead of the assembly elections, upset over the number of seats allotted to him.

That walk-out, however, had backfired as his party drew a blank at the hustings. The votes were swept by the JD(U) and Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal. The Congress, which also was part of the alliance, found itself on the winning side with 27 seats.

Efforts are on to feel out the contours of a possible alliance with the Congress, even though party sources have said that the current feud within the SP makes it unappealing as a partner.     

Ajit Singh's Rashtirya Lok Dal, with its strong support base in western Uttar Pradesh, has been identified as a potential member of the Grand Alliance, sources have said.