NDA’s seat sharing agreement was announced on March 18 at the BJP’s national headquarters in New Delhi, with the BJP set to fight 17 seats, one more than its biggest ally in the State, the Janata Dal (U) at 16 seats, alongside Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Chirag Paswan to fight on five seats, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) at one seat each.
Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats, and the all seats have been accounted for in the announcement, made by BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde who was flanked by deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Samrat Choudhary, JD(U) general secretary Sanjay Jha, Delhi chief of the LJP Raju Tiwari and HAM leader Rajneesh Kumar. RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha or any representative from that party was absent from the press meet ostensibly because “no one was in Delhi” at the time of announcement.
Even the seats to be fought by each party was announced at the press meet. “BJP will be fighting West Champaran, East Champaran, Aurangabad, Madhubani, Araria, Darbhanga, Muzzafarpur, Maharajganj, Saran, Ujiarpur, Begusarai, Nawada, Patna Sahib, Patiliputra, Ara, Buxar and Sasaram. The JD(U) will fight on Valmikinagar, Sitamarhi, Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Madhepura, Gopalganj, Siwan, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Nalanda, Jehanabad and Sheohar. The five seats to be contested by LJP (Ram Vilas) are Vaishali, Hajipur, Samastipur, Khagaria and Jamui. HAM to contest Gaya and RLM from Karakat,” said Mr Tawde. He added that the alliance was poised to “sweep all 40 seats.”
BJP this time around is fighting one extra seat in comparison to Janata Dal (U) if one looks at the seat distribution from 2019 when they fought 17 seats each, with six going to LJP. The Gaya seat from JD(U)’s earlier share has been farmed out to HAM, as has Karakat to RLM, while it gets Sheohar from the BJP, and BJP in turn gets Nawada from the LJP.
Mr Paswan seems to have bested his estranged uncle, Union Minister Pasupati Paras in the political stakes, with no mention being made of any accomodation in this arrangement for the latter. Mr Paras, who represents Hajipur (earlier the seat of late Ram Vilas Paswan), had staked a claim on that seat, but it has been handed to his nephew, Chirag Paswan, as per the announcement.
Mr Kushwaha’s supporters were reportedly upset at only being offered one seat, Karakat, whereas he had hoped to get two seats in the arrangement.
Mr Jha, representing the JD(U) said that polls in Bihar “appeared to be a one way poll” with the State’s “aspiration” for development very evident, meaning a landslide for the NDA.
The seat sharing arrangement comes ahead of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s visit to Delhi later this evening and for the next couple of days where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Modi among other senior BJP leaders. A gathering of the refurbished NDA is also not ruled out before the week is out, with the BJP only awaiting the firming up of seat sharing arrangements between the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and itself before the requisite show of strength.
Odisha BJP leaders were in Delhi on March 18 to iron out some issues with the Central leadership for the same, said sources.
