As Bihar approaches for polls later this month, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) is likely to contest on 143 seats outside the NDA alliance with the slogan “Modi se bair nahi, Nitish teri khair nahi,” or “No enmity with Modi but won’t spare CM and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar.”
Chirag Paswan met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda on Thursday to discuss the seat-sharing formula.
As the LJP will contest on 143 seats, BJP has offered not to field candidates on those seats. While the LJP has assured BJP that it will back BJP’s candidate for CM candidate in the post-poll scenario, a report in The Hindu said.
LJP has called a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board on Saturday to decide the road ahead. Chirag Paswan who has a bitter relationship with CM Nitish Kumar had earlier said that he will not hesitate to field candidates against Janata Dal United JD(U), according to sources.
LJP said that it wasn’t walking out of the alliance as the party is in alliance with the NDA at the national level. It is being said that the LJP will act as BJP’s proxy in the alliance.
The idea behind the arrangement is to gather the votes which is anti-Nitish but also pro-Modi votes, on the JD(U) seats. Report says that the LJP has proposed it as a win-win situation for both the BJP and the LJP.
Earlier Chirag Paswan has asked members of the party’s parliamentary board to prepare a list of 143 candidates and start campaigning in their respective constituencies. The decision has won the appreciation of parliamentary board members in New Delhi. LJP chief’s mood shows that he is not willing to compromise on seat-sharing with the JD(U).
LJP leaders were against reluctant to contest elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar as they were upset with his poor handling of the Covid-19 situation, the floods, migrant crisis and employment issues in the state. So far as the JD(U) is concerned, party insiders say the spat with LJP was over seat sharing ahead of the elections.
However, PM Modi gave his seal of approval to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar as the face of the NDA, saying Kumar had a “very important role” to play in taking Bihar forward on the path to progress.
The Bihar assembly elections will be held in three phases- the first phase will be held on October 28, the second phase will be on November 3 and the third phase will be on November 7. The counting of votes will be on November 10.
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