Nitish, Nadda hold Bihar seat talks
PATNA: Seat-sharing talks between ruling alliance partners Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), and the Bharatiya Janata Party began for the upcoming Bihar elections due in October-November, according to functionaries aware of the developments.
A delegation led by BJP president JP Nadda interacted with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the JD(U) national president, at the CM’s official residence in a meeting that lasted 45 minutes. The BJP team comprised its Bihar election incharge, Bhupendra Yadav, and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, among others, according to the people.
Later in the day, Nadda reiterated that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), of which the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) too is a part, will fight the elections “unitedly”. His remarks came against the backdrop of a growing buzz on perceived differences between the JD(U) and the LJP. “People of Bihar have already made up their mind. Now, we have to decide how we are going to change Bihar,” Nadda said.
According to NDA functionaries, CM Kumar voiced his displeasure at statements by the LJP president Chirag Paswan, who has been critical of the JD(U) of late, during his meeting with Nadda. A BJP leader, who did not want to be named, said it was just an “initial round of talks” and that the final formula will be worked out after discussions with the LJP, which was not part of Saturday’s dialogue.
“We want a respectable accommodation,” said a LJP leader, requesting anonymity. LJP has called a meeting of party MPs to discuss the issue on September 16.
In 2015, the JD(U) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) contested the elections together on 101 seats each as part of the opposition grand alliance. Their partner, the Congress, contested 41 seats in 243-member assembly. On the other hand, the BJP contested 157 seats, LJP 42 seats, and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) 21 seats. The HAM, which later severed ties with the NDA, recently made a comeback. “The alliance of BJP-JD (U)-LJP and HAM-S is very strong,” Sushil Modi said.