BJP, NDA allies hold meeting on Bihar polls; seat pact to be announce

New Delhi: Senior BJP leaders including Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda held a meeting with party leaders and those of the allies on the ensuing Bihar polls here on Saturday, with the BJP state unit chief Dilip Jaiswal indicating that seat-sharing arrangements with the NDA partners will be announced by Sunday.

This came a day ahead of the expected meeting of the Central Election Committee of the BJP, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders, to finalise the names of the party candidates for the Bihar assembly polls scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11.

Sources said the seat-sharing formula with the Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] and the LJP (Ram Vilas) [LJP(RV)] has almost been finalised while discussions were on with other two allies — Hindustan Awam Morcha (Secular) [HAM(S)] supremo Jitan Ram Lam Manjhi, also a Union minister, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha.

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According to NDA sources, the JD(U) is likely to contest around 101 or 102 seats and the BJP on one seat less than the JD(U).

Ahead of the meeting, BJP Bihar unit president Dilip Jaiswal said, “All is well in the NDA and the seat share of the allies will be announced today or by tomorrow at 11 am.”

“Everything has been decided in the NDA. The NDA is moving forward with firm unity. All is well,” he told reporters, when asked about the NDA’s seat-sharing formula.

“I think the central leadership will make an announcement this evening or by 11 am tomorrow,” he added.

Whether the announcement will be made in Patna or in Delhi, Jaiswal said the NDA leadership will decide on this.

BJP’s in-charge for political affairs in Bihar Vinod Tawde and Bihar election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, also a Union minister, were present at the meeting.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who was also here to attend the BJP core group meeting, said discussions were on with the allies on seat-sharing for the state assembly polls.

“Nobody has any kind of resentment. Everyone has expressed their views… all are happy,” the BJP leader told reporters when asked if Kushwaha aur Paswan had any resentment over the sharing of seats.

During the day-long meeting at Nadda’s residence, Manjhi came and discussed seat-sharing with senior BJP leaders.

“We have expressed our views before the senior leadership of the BJP… We have all the options open. There is an old saying that no one is anyone’s friend in politics, no one is anyone’s enemy,” HAM(S)’s national general secretary Rajesh Pandey told reporters after the meeting.

Meanwhile, the central parliamentary board of the LJP (RV) authorised party chief Chirag Paswan to take all the decisions at a meeting held at his residence here.

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