A five-seat question torments BJP in Bihar ahead of Lok Sabha elections

After the completion of Jan Sampark Abhiyan, the Bihar BJP leadership is now faced with the daunting task of ‘handing’ over its five winning seats to its alliance partner JD (U) for the Lok Sabha polls.

As per agreement in the NDA, BJP and the JD (U) would contest on 17 seats each while the LJP will contest on six seats. By agreeing to contest just 17 of the 40 seats in Bihar, the BJP has given up five seats it had won in 2014. The BJP had contested 30 seats in the last election, when the JD(U) was not part of the alliance, and won 22.

The biggest gainer from the seat-sharing arrangement will be CM Nitish Kumar’s JD(U). Kumar’s party had won only two out of the 38 seats it had contested in 2014 polls and had lost deposits in 23 seats. The LJP had contested on seven and won six seats.

JD (U) state president Bashistha Narain Singh had earlier said that the name of constituencies to be contested by each of the NDA alliance partners would be announced any day after the Makar Sankranti.

BJP leaders agree in private that though there are no hurdles for some of the seats, the real problem would be the constituencies on which BJP had won comfortably and have done ‘enough’ work to seek re-election.

BJP sources said that there is high probability of Nawada or Begusarai, Darbhanga, Madhubani going the JD (U) way. The other seat, which BJP may lose in the bargain, is Valmikinagar. Party sources say that a lot of debate is also on between Chhapra and Patliputra seats, as well. “The JD (U) may contest on one of them,” said a BJP leader.

The recent appointment of former union minister and Saran MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy as BJP national spokesperson has also set the rumour mills agog with speculation that the party might field somebody else from this seat.

Madhubani MP Hukumdeo Narain Yadav has announced he would not be contesting the polls this time, while Begusarai seat is lying vacant after the death of sitting MP Bhola Singh (BJP).

JD (U) sources said that party will also stake its claim for Karakat and Ara seat. “If Ara, represented by union minister of state for energy RK Singh, goes to JD (U), he will be asked to contest from some other seat,” said a BJP leader. The JD (U) is also likely to field its nominee from Karakat, a seat represented by former union minister and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha.

BJP sources said that seats of no less than half a dozen candidates will be changed in the seat sharing.

Before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the JD (U) was the senior partner in the seat-sharing arrangements with the BJP. In the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, the JD (U) contested 24 out of the 40 seats, winning six. The BJP contested 16 and won five. In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the JD (U) won 20 and BJP 12.

A similar arrangement existed between the two parties in the assembly polls in the state. In the 2010 Assembly polls in Bihar, the JD (U) contested 141 of the 243 seats and won 115. The BJP contested 102 and won 91. The support bases of the two parties also complimented each other.

Kumar had support among his Kurmi community and other ECB (or extremely backward castes), Dalits and Muslims. The BJP’s support base in Bihar comprises the upper castes. This polarisation helped the Kumar-led alliance to successive wins in the 2005 and 2010 Assembly polls, and the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

First Published: Jan 08, 2019 14:44 IST