Nitish Kumar will set off on another yatra from Sikta in West Champaran around the time Janata parivar merger talks begin next year.

His Sampark Yatra ends in Jamui on Tuesday. Unlike Sampark, where he interacted only with party cadres and supporters, the next yatra will see Nitish address rallies in all Assembly constituencies to stop the BJP's rise in Bihar.

JDU state chief Bashishtha Narayan Singh told The Telegraph: 'As of now, date of two Assembly constituencies has been decided, Sikta on January 17 and Madhuban (East Champaran) on January 18.'

The upcoming yatra is crucial, given the JDU and RJD's poor show in Jharkhand. 'The JDU forfeited security deposits and the RJD lost in some Yadav strongholds. We are losing votes. Nitish's upcoming yatra will give us a clear picture where we stand and what our fate in the 2015 Assembly election would be,' a senior JDU leader said on condition of anonymity.

The yatra also comes at a time the JDU is closing its door on dissidents. It has disqualified eight MLAs. He also faces the heat over chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's claim that he (Manjhi) has bettered Nitish in some areas.

Asked the motive behind next month's yatra, Bashishtha said: 'The idea is to strengthen the party at the grassroots and motivate party workers, as we are going to merge. I will hold another meeting on January 3 and 4 to discuss several issues, including dates of Nitish's yatra in other Assembly segments.'

Nitish is, meanwhile, in Thrissur, Kerala, to attend a convention along with consumer protection minister Shyam Rajak. Before leaving on Saturday, he posted on Facebook that the convention would mark the JDU's merger with the Socialist Janata (Democratic), led by former Union minister M.P. Veerendra Kumar.

Earlier, Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP), Lalu Prasad (RJD), H.D. Deve Gowda of Janata Dal (Secular), Abhay Chautala of Indian National Lok Dal and Nitish (JDU) met in Delhi for merger talks and even held a dharna against the BJP.

Nitish also said: 'India stands at the critical juncture in her progress as a democracy. The nation needs a strong opposition that can voice the idea and aspiration of India, which BJP cannot appreciate and represent.

BJP has mastered the politics of 31 per cent votes where the rest do not matter. However, in a vibrant India, every citizen must remain an equal stakeholder. I aspire to make this happen.'

In 2005, Nitish had embarked on a Nyay Yatra to replace the then Lalu-Rabri regime. This time, he would have to convince people about the same Lalu, now his friend.