After hectic parleys, NDA firms up Bihar seat share

The herculean task of finalising seat distribution came through after a series of parleys among the NDA allies following the bitterness between two Dalit camps - Jitan Ram Manjhi and Ram Vilas Paswan.

The BJP will contest on 160 <g data-gr-id="37">seats,</g> while Paswan-headed Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has “agreed” to contest on 40 seats. And Manjhi got 20 seats into his kitty with the arrangement of Hindustani <g data-gr-id="40">Awam</g> Morcha’s (HAM), five candidates to contest on BJP symbol – Lotus. The Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), headed by Union Minister of State for HRD Upendra Kushwaha who wanted to be projected as the NDA’s CM face, will go to the poll to prove his “mettle” with just 23 seats in the 243 seat Bihar Assembly.

With the BJP pinning its hopes on the Dalit and Mahadalit vote bank, party president Amit Shah pulled out all stops to bring their leaders on board as part of the poll strategy to make inroads into  Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad’s stronghold among- <g data-gr-id="34">Kurmi</g>-<g data-gr-id="35">Muslim-Yadav</g> voters.

Taking a jibe at Janata Parivar, Shah said that the grand alliance has broken. “The head of the grand alliance is not with the alliance today, then where is the question of its existence,” Shah said adding that there cannot be development where there is corruption and “jungle <g data-gr-id="33">raaj</g>.”

“Nitish Kumar is dishing out figures on development, but I would like to tell people that the figures he is giving are till the time BJP was in government in Bihar with Kumar,” alleged the BJP president, claiming that NDA will win the election and take Bihar on the path of development. Making an appeal to people of the state, Shah said, “Bihar has given a chance to JDU and RJD, we now ask the people to give NDA a chance.”

Sources close to Manjhi said that though HAM chief has been offered Rajya Sabha membership, but senior leaders of BJP have asked Manjhi to contest from Imamganj Assembly constituency, a reserved seat and bastion of Uday Narain Choudhary, a confidant of Nitish Kumar.

“Since the incumbent Bihar Assembly Speaker has a strong hold over the constituency, it is only Manjhi who has the stature to take on the “yes man” of Nitish. If this happens, it will be a great win for the NDA. So the onus is on <g data-gr-id="39">Manjhi,</g> if he wishes to take up the challenge or not,” a source said. However, Shah has left this decision to Manjhi.