Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The return of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad to his home state, after over four months to Bihar, has given momentum to the efforts for the merger of the Janata Parivar parties.

Lalu, who had been away from Bihar since August because of his ill health, said the formalities of the merger would be completed soon. "Dil mil gaya hai to samjho vilay ho gaya hai (Merger has taken place, what with the reunion of hearts). Only formalities are to be completed now," Lalu said.

Asking party workers to be ready for the Assembly polls scheduled to be held in October-November, the RJD chief said that the merger would happen after the 'inauspicious' period which would come to end on January 14. "Our New Year will begin on the Makar Sankranti day. Our campaign will also kickstart from that day," Lalu Prasad said.

Lalu also held telephonic talks with the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Janata Dal (U) president Sharad Yadav and former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on the New Year to chalk out their strategies against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the next Assembly elections. He also met Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi who came to his residence to wish him on Thursday. Together, they vowed to stop the march of the BJP as well as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Manjhi said that the BJP's march could not be stopped without the cooperation of Lalu Prasad. "Laluji will strengthen the secular forces at a time when secularism is under threat in the country," he said.

Manjhi's predecessor Nitish Kumar said: "Formal merger process may take some time, but we have already been united in principle.

Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav is working out the modalities for the merger.

Nitish said that the secular forces would stop the victory march of the BJP in Bihar. "The BJP is trying to get votes by talking about the return of jungle raj, but Bihar will continue to have the rule of the law," he said. "They (BJP) is trying to instill fear in the minds of people in the name of Lalu Yadav but they are only rumour mongers. Nobody should be afraid so long as I am here," he added.

Nitish said the BJP was busy strengthening its organisation while he was working for the development of Bihar during their coalition government in Bihar. "This put the BJP in an advantageous position in the Lok Sabha polls but now, we are trying to strengthen our organisation for the Assembly elections," he said.

The BJP, however, said the merger of the parties of Lalu and Nitish would only help it in the elections. Senior party leader Sushil Kumar Modi said that the merger would not have any impact in the Bihar polls. "In fact, our job has now become easier since Lalu and Nitish have joined hands. The fight would have been tougher had Nitish not aligned with Lalu."