BJP’s allies in Bihar push for early deal on sharing of seats

Two key constituents of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar — Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party — on Monday urged the “big brother” — BJP — to sort out the seat-sharing arrangement “within a week” for the coming Assembly elections. They also asked the BJP to spare 142 seats for them.

“The Assembly polls are just two months away and our opponents — the grand alliance of the JD(U), the RJD and the Congress — have already distributed seats among themselves and finalised most of the candidates but we are yet to do so,” Pashupati Kumar Paras, State LJP president and brother of party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, told media persons at a joint press conference with the RLSP leader and party MP Arun Kumar.

Party sources told The Hindu that the LJP has sought 75 seats which it had contested in the 2010 elections in alliance with the RJD and the RLSP has asked for 67 seats.

But, both parties refused to reveal the number of seats they wish to contest. “It all depends on our party leaders …we only want to convey the message to our big brother to finalise the seats as early as possible for better results in the poll,” they said.

“If the seat-sharing arrangement is sorted out, we will ask our candidates to start campaigning,” Mr. Paras told The Hindu . Delay in announcement of seats for the recent Council poll from local bodies led to the NDA bagging only 12 of the 24 seats while JD(U), RJD and Congress had together bagged 10 seats with two going to Independents.

Both leaders also expressed their displeasure over the BJP campaign slogans and suggested that they should be in the name of NDA, instead of the BJP alone. “Instead of Abki bar BJP sarkar, it should be Abki bar NDA sarkar …it will enthuse the workers of all the coalition partners,” said Mr. Arun Kumar, adding that the NDA would contest the poll under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, the RLSP chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha at the party’s national executive meet had proposed that the BJP contest 101 seats leaving 75 and 67 seats for the LJP and the RLSP respectively.