JD(U) leader Arun Kumar Srivastava, whose role in the highly contentious Gujarat Rajya Sabha, earlier this week, led to his sacking as general secretary of the party’s unit in that state, has claimed party’s ‘dissenting’ leader Sharad Yadav enjoys the support of nearly 20 JD (U) MLAs in Bihar.

If the ‘nearly 20 legislators’, claimed by Srivastava to be backing Sharad, are all sitting MLAs, it is a very significant number, considering the chief minister Nitish Kumar-led JD (U) has a total of 71 MLAs in the state.

Srivastava was sacked from the post of party general secretary and this happened after the JD (U)’s sole MLA in Gujarat Chhotubhai Vasava said he voted for Congress candidate Ahmed Patel in the RS poll because the BJP had been looting the state for the last 20 years and he was opposed to his party chief Nitish Kumar joining hands with the BJP.

“The party president (Nitish Kumar) has taken a serious note of the issue and has relieved you of your responsibility from the post of general secretary,” Tyagi said in his letter to Srivastava, who considered a close confidante of Sharad Yadav.

Srivastava, an old war horse of the JD (U),who since the Samata Party (1994-2003) days, was always with Kumar during his nation-wide tours till a few months ago, claimed 14 state unit presidents had also categorically written to the leadership that they were not for breaking the Grand alliance formed by Lalu yadav ,Nitish Kumar and Congress.