New Delhi, Nov. 8: The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, led by Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, today headed for a split with suspended MP Arun Kumar anointing himself president.

Kumar, the Jehanabad MP, declared himself the national president of the party, made several appointments in the organisation and said he had moved the Election Commission to claim that his faction represented the "real Rashtriya Lok Samata Party".

Kumar said he has claimed the party's symbol - the ceiling fan - before the poll panel. He said that one of the two RLSP MLAs, Lalan Paswan, was with him and has been appointed Bihar president of the party.

The RLSP has three Lok Sabha members, among them party chief Kushwaha, who is a junior minister in the Narendra Modi government.

The party was formed ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls by Janata Dal United rebels.

The party aligned with the BJP to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and also the 2015 Assembly elections. Kumar said the RLSP would continue to be a BJP ally.

"We are the original RLSP. The majority in the party organisation are with our faction and not with Upendra Kushwaha. We have moved the Election Commission with our claim," said Kumar, one of the founding members of the RLSP.

Differences between Kushwaha and Kumar started post the former's elevation as a minister in the Modi government. Kumar wanted to be appointed president of the RLSP but was spurred by Kushwaha, sources said.

"Upendra Kushwaha wants to run the party like his pocket organisation. This was protested by the grassroots workers who felt letdown," Kumar said on asked about the reason for his differences with Kushwaha.