Here’s a look at the recent political developments from Bihar where fresh manoeuvring has begun for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) will be meeting on July 8 to decide the course of action regarding the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The JD(U) is seeking to contest more seats in Bihar than its alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The meeting is expected to happen days before BJP national president Amit Shah meets the chief minister on July 12, in a bid to alleviate issues between the allies.
Observers suggest that the JD(U)-BJP alliance is on the edge. The partnership has soured over distribution of 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state among the various parties within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) are other parties from Bihar which are part of the NDA.
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On Monday, a couple of Congress MLAs in Bihar showered praise on Nitish and favoured his return to the ‘Mahagathbandhan’, disagreeing with contention of the party's ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) that the door is closed for the chief minister.
RJD rules out Nitish’s return
In late June, RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav had ruled out any invitation for Nitish to return to the grand alliance.
"Why should we offer those to join the Grand Alliance who insulted the mandate of the people? We will not allow their entry," Tejashwi had told the media.
Tejashwi, the son of former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, said the doors of the opposition alliance were shut for the chief minister.
"People also want this as he has proved himself a 'Paltu Ram' (a turncoat)," Tejashwi said. However, he added that the alliance was willing to welcome RLSP chief Kushwaha.
Tejashwi’s comments came after Nitish called up Lalu Yadav, who is recuperating in a Mumbai hospital after undergoing a surgery, and enquired about his health.
What makes Bihar a battleground
An opinion poll by ABP News-Lokniti-CSDS in May had revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA would maintain its numbers in Bihar. The NDA is likely to have a 60 percent vote share, far ahead of UPA’s 34 percent. Other parties would have a six percent vote share.
In 2014, NDA had a vote share of 58 percent followed by UPA’s 28 percent. Others had bagged a vote share of 21 percent in the previous general election.
In the 2015 Assembly election, the RJD-JD (U)-Congress had won 178 seats in the 243-member assembly while the NDA had won 53 seats. Seven seats were won by others and individuals.
In July 2017, Nitish had resigned from his post and broke his party's 'Grand Alliance' with Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD and Congress.
Nitish was sworn in as the new Chief Minister less than 24 hours after he resigned, but this time with the support of the BJP. The following day, Nitish and his new government, formed with the BJP, won the crucial trust vote in the Bihar state Assembly, with 131 legislators voting in favour and 108 voting against.