Weeks after the disgruntled RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha quit the NDA, on Thursday he joined the Bihar mahagathbandhan with Congress and Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD as its partners.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel made the announcement on Thursday saying, “This is a matter of great happiness that Upendra Kushwaha has joined the mahagathbandhan.”

Former Union Minister Kushwaha had pulled out of the NDA earlier this month after failing to get any representation in the seat-sharing deal between BJP and JDU for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Bihar.

Kushwaha met the other mahagathbandhan leaders at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday. Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Shaktisinh Gohil were present at the meeting.

Addressing the media, Tejashwi said, “Today we are witnessing an undeclared emergency. This is a move to save the Constitution.”

Kushwaha said, “We had said that we have many options and UPA was one of them. The wholeheartedness shown by Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav is one of the reasons I joined but the biggest reason I’m here is the people of Bihar.”

Kushwaha added that the NDA in Bihar has become arrogant. He then went on to urge Ram Vilas Paswan and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) to quit the alliance.