Seat sharing: Things will be fine, says BJP
In its quest for a repeat of 2019 performance in the Lok Sabha election and aware of the caste dynamics of the state, the BJP is treading cautiously before seat sharing to rope in as many alliance partners in Bihar as possible.
BJP state president and deputy CM Samrat Choudhary said on Monday that everything would be settled amicably and there was no one upset. “Let the time come. In NDA everything will be smooth as before,” he told media persons here on Monday.
Senior JD(U) leader and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary too reiterated the same, saying “all is well and the NDA would resolve everything ahead of time”. “Right now even the announcement of election has not been made,” he added.
“With CM Nitish Kumar returning to India from his England visit and likely to reach Patna on Tuesday, the seat sharing talks are likely to reach a conclusive end and along with it the due cabinet expansion could also be done in the next few days,” said a senior JD(U) leader.
The core committee of the BJP is also meeting in Delhi Monday evening and a final outline to accommodate maximum parties with winnable candidates is likely.
HAM-S chief and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi went a step further and gave a deadline for resolving seat sharing among NDA constituents by March 15. “Chirag Paswan is also on board and his statements are aimed at enthusing his party cadres ahead of election,” he added.
The latest showing inclination towards NDA is the Vikashsheel Inshaan Party (VIP) of Mukesh Sahni, which was with the BJP since 2014 but later fell out.
After talks with the BJP top brass in Delhi, Mukesh Sahni is confident that a final announcement would soon be made, though he did not spell out how many seats he would like for his party. “Seats don’t matter much, but the issue of Nishad community certainly does. Anyone wanting to win 40 of 40 seats cannot ignore Nishads. We want the BJP to give a guarantee for Nishads. Our party has the vote base and that is known to all. Our sole priority is uplift of Nishads and we will be with the one who will work for them,” he said.
A senior BJP leader said there was everything smooth in NDA and all the constituents would be suitably accommodated in the best interest of the alliance.
“BJP knows who needs what and the constituents also know how far they can be accommodated. During election time, all parties strive for the maximum and there is nothing wrong with that, but all the parties also want to win. Chirag has been a trusted ally and Sahni an old ally,” he added.