NEW DELHI, July 6: The truncated Janata Dal (JD) got its president today. In an election which was called a farce by his critics and which led to the split of his party, Sharad Yadav polled 691 out of the 758 votes.

For the MP from Madhepura, Bihar, who has been on the sidelines for more than five years, today's victory, coming a day after his predecessor Laloo Prasad Yadav broke away to launch the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), was little more than a formality.

Yet, it emboldened Laloo's critics, who arrived from Patna today, to renew their demand that President's rule be imposed in Bihar. The dissidents former Minister Mangni Lal Mandal claimed that some 40 Bihar MLAs had arrived in New Delhi have sought an appointment with Prime Minister IK Gujral tomorrow.

But Sharad himself was more circumspect. Speaking to reporters at his official residence, he said he would work towards a patch-up with those who had joined the RJD. ``The need of the hour is to heal the wounds of all those who deserted the Janata Dal and find ways to bring them back into the party fold,'' he said. He claimed that senior party leaders, including Gujral, shared this view and appeared to be keen on ``removing the bitterness created by the party presidential poll'' to strengthen the organisation.

Earlier in the day, after the counting of votes, Madhu Dandavate, who had been deputed by the Apex Court to take charge of the polls, declared Sharad as the new JD president.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.