Patna: RJD and Congress leaders are talking about a split in the BJP-led NDA split before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh on Wednesday spoke about "fragmentation" of the NDA and mentioned the JDU and the BJP's boycott of the NDA-member RLSP's (Rashtriya Lok Samta Party) human chain on Tuesday. Earlier, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had caused a flutter by declaring that Upendra Kushwaha and Jitan Ram Manjhi were ready to come to the RJD fold.

However, a section of RJD leaders are not very enthusiastic about teaming up with Kushwaha.

"Right now there is no leader in Bihar belonging to the Kushwaha caste who can claim to have the support of his caste across the state," said a senior RJD leader, calling Kushwaha "untrustworthy" and "highly ambitious".

RJD leaders point out that Kushwaha has never hidden his ambition to become the chief minister of Bihar.

"In the alliance headed by the RJD there is no vacancy for that post. Tejashwi Yadav will be our CM candidate," declared another senior RJD leader, claiming that Kushwaha's influence over his own caste is doubtful. His then newly created RLSP won all the three seats it contested in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls because of the Narendra Modi wave but failed to deliver in the Assembly polls, managing to win only two of the 21 seats it was given.

The Kushwahas make up the largest Other Backward Classes (OBC) block in Bihar after Yadavs and are believed to constitute 5 per cent of the state's population.

In the 1990s, before Nitish Kumar parted ways with Lalu Prasad, there was a call for Luv-Kush (Kurmi-Kushwaha) unity. There have been several claimants to Kushwaha leadership, such as Shakuni Choudhary, Nagmani, Tulsi Das Mehta and Upendra Kushwaha. However, all these leaders are known for their flip-flops. Shakuni Choudhary started from the Congress, went to the Samata Party, joined the RJD and then the JDU and finally HAMS. Nagmani , who is currently with the RLSP, has hardly any political party he has not joined - LJP, RJD, BJP, JDU.

"You name it, he has been there," joked an RJD leader.

The Kushwaha caste members, the RJD leader said, usually vote for the candidate of their caste.

Upendra Kushwaha's track record has been colourful. He was brought to Bihar politics by Nitish in 2004 when the chief minister made a debutant MLA leader of Opposition in the Assembly. Kushwaha later ditched Nitish, only to return and to be made a Rajya Sabha MP by Nitish. He again revolted against Nitish. After flirting with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), he formed the RLSP and joined hands with the BJP.

"The very fact that he was given three seats and made a Union minister should have made him grateful, but even in the NDA he is creating hassles," remarked a senior RJD leader, stressing that Upendra was no great catch. "What is the surety he will not do the same if he joins the front led by us?"