Clamour in LJP on putting up candidates against JDU

New Delhi: LJP president Chirag Paswan is keeping the cards close to his chest even as the clamour to put up his party candidates against all the JDU candidates in the Bihar assembly elections is turning shriller within his party.

Infact, Chirag has already held a meeting of his party leaders from Bihar in Delhi on Monday and they have authorised him to take a decision on the alliance in Bihar. All the state party leaders were unanimous in their request to field LJP candidates against JDU in all the seats while avoiding a fight with BJP. For that to happen, LJP will have to first pull out of the NDA. However, senior party leader Ram Vilas Paswan is in the Union Cabinet and has expressed his commitment to PM Modi.

For the past few months, Chirag has, on one hand, continued his attack on the governance of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar while, on the other hand, spoken highly of PM Modi. The bone of contention seems to be seat-sharing.

With JDU joining NDA in 2017, LJP is likely to get 20-25 seats, something that is not acceptable to LJP, as per sources. Sources told ET that Chirag had a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda two weeks ago and put forward his demand. He is even learnt to have said BJP should contest more seats than JDU.

The BJP leadership, though uncomfortable with Chirag’s regular attack on the state government, wants to take him along. “It is up to him whether he is willing to carry forward the long legacy of his father,” a senior BJP leader told ET.

Meanwhile, the JDU is closely watching every move of Chirag Paswan and has been trying to corner him. First, Jitan Manjhi of HAM joined NDA despite objections from LJP. As per JDU sources, this is to beat LJP in Dalit politics through another Dalit in Manjhi. Manjhi’s party leaders have been constantly targeting Chirag Paswan and LJP. To counter LJP’s ‘Bihar First Bihari First’, HAM had come up with ‘First Bihar, Nitish Kumar’ slogan.