Patna, May 30 (IANS): After the selection of Khiru Mahto as the JD-U's official candidate for the biennial election to the Rajya Sabha, he said the decision of the party surprised him. He was not expecting his selection at all.

"The party and the chief minister of Bihar have given me a big responsibility and I will try to stand up to the same," Mahto said.

"I am thankful to Nitish Kumar, national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and the top leadership of JD-U who have given me this big responsibility. I will strengthen the party in Jharkhand and make it the number one political party of the state. Our expansion plan will intensify more in the coming days," he said.

Khiru Mahto is JD-U state president of Jharkhand and considered very close to Lalan Singh. When Lalan Singh was given the post of national president last year, he had selected Khiru Mahto as state president of Jharkhand.

Sources said that Lalan Singh has played a big role in the selection of Khiru Mahto instead of union minister RCP Singh.

"I was not expecting that the party would send me to the Rajya Sabha. It is a big honour and responsibility for me," he said.

When asked about R.C.P. Singh, Mahto said: "He is my leader and he will remain our leader in future."