Seats for NDA allies in state finalised: JD(U)

PATNA: A day after LJP and RLSP refuted media reports that seat-sharing formula in the NDA has been finalized for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, JD(U) on Wednesday asserted that it was done and would be announced soon.
“Seat-sharing among the NDA partners has been finalized. It will be announced soon by the top leaders,” JD(U) national general secretary (organization) RCP Singh said in response to a media query at the Bapu Sabhagar here.

CM Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), BJP, LJP and RLSP are the NDA partners in Bihar which has 40 Lok Sabha seats. JD(U) had contested the last Lok Sabha election with Left parties and formed Grand Alliance with RJD and Congress for the 2015 assembly election in the state.

The BJP-LJP-RLSP combine had won 31 Lok Sabha seats in 2014, while the JD(U) could manage to win only Nalanda and Purnia seats. The rest seven seats were won by RJD (4), Congress (2) and NCP (1).

Earlier on Tuesday, LJP state president Pashupati Kumar Paras categorically said the seat-sharing formula was yet to be finalized. “It is only in media and no such decision has been taken yet,” Paras said. He also said formal talks on seat sharing would start after Chhath Puja.

Similarly, senior RLSP leader and former minister Shri Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha had also denied media reports on seat-sharing. “How can it be finalized without a meeting with all NDA partners and a formal discussion,” Kushwaha said on Tuesday.

Earlier, it was reported in a section of media that the BJP had agreed to give 16 seats to JD(U), 5 to LJP and 2 to RLSP and kept 17 seats for itself to contest in Bihar.

Senior leaders of both LJP and RLSP on Wednesday told TOI that they would not agree on any less number of seats than they had contested in 2014 Lok Sabha polls as NDA allies. The Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP had contested seven seats and won six whereas Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP had contested three and won all three seats.