The Janata Dal-United faction led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar yesterday decided to formally join the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The JD-U passed a resolution at the party’s national executive meeting earlier in the day. 
“Now we have become part of NDA,” JD-U general secretary K C Tyagi told reporters.
The resolution was moved by Tyagi, which was approved by all invited members.
Tyagi said that BJP president Amit Shah had urged Nitish Kumar during his recent visit to Delhi to join the NDA.
He said the national executive also approved the party’s decision to walk out of the Grand Alliance of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress and join hands with the BJP to form a government in Bihar.
The national executive meeting was held at the official residence of Nitish Kumar, who is also JD-U president.
Most of the JD-U leaders, including 70 party MLAs, two Lok Sabha MPs and seven Rajya Sabha MPs participated in the meeting.
The JD-U now has two factions: one led by Nitish Kumar and the other by senior party leader and former party president Sharad Yadav. 
Yadav who has been opposed to Nitish Kumar’s move to embrace the BJP meanwhile will approach the Election Commission to stake claim over the party symbol ‘arrow’, member of his faction said.
“We will soon knock on the door of the Election Commission to stake claim over the party symbol and inform (people) that the real party is with him (Sharad), not with Nitish Kumar,” senior JD-U leader Arun Srivastav said.
“The real JD-U belongs to Sharad Yadav and party units in different states across India are with him,” Srivastav said.
“It is Sharad Yadav who formed the JD-U, not Nitish Kumar,” said Srivastav, who was last week removed as the party’s general secretary.
The Sharad Yadav-led JD-U is holding its Jan Adalat (people’s court) meeting at S K Memorial near the historic Gandhi Maidan, in Patna.
According to former JD-U minister Ramai Ram, a Sharad Yadav supporter, his meeting is open for all.
Sharad Yadav is also likely to announce his decision to attend RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s “Desh Bachao BJP Bhagao” rally here on August 27.
However, the Nitish Kumar faction has repeatedly said the party would act against Sharad Yadav if he attended the rally.
The chief minister virtually put Sharad Yadav on notice, daring him to split the party and face action.
“Let Sharad Yadav split the party. For splitting the party there is need of support from two-third leaders. If he has the majority he should prove it,” Nitish Kumar said.
The chief minister said Sharad Yadav was free to do whatever he wanted. “But he will not be able to do anything. It is for all to see. All 71 MLAs and 30 MLCs along with two Lok Sabha MPs are with us.” 
He said Yadav was elected to the Rajya Sabha with the support and vote of the BJP.
Tyagi said the party has not acted against Yadav for his “anti-party activities” because of his seniority and long association with the party.
“But, if he attends RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s rally here on August 27, then he will cross the Lakshman Rekha,” he said, hinting at action against Yadav.
Tyagi said that Yadav has left the party “on his own” and is “no longer with us, emotionally or physically”.
He accused Yadav of indulging in anti-party activities by holding separate meetings with his own supporters and RJD members.
He claimed Yadav has “always taken a stand against Nitish - whether it is on demonetisation, surgical strikes and women’s reservation. He always took a different stand and went to the extremes”.
Claiming that there was no split in the party, Tyagi said the heads of 16 state committees were with Nitish Kumar, contrary to claims made by the rival group.