NDA backs Nitish Kumar; JD(U) gets 122 seats, BJP 121
New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) comprising Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced its seat-sharing formula for the Bihar Assembly elections on Tuesday.
As per the seat-sharing pact, the JD(U) will contest on 122 seats and BJP 121 out of a total of 243 seats and incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will be the NDA's CM face.
However, the BJP has rebuffed LJP chief Chirag Paswan who raised a banner of revolt against Nitish and separated itself from the NDA and announced contesting 143 seats all alone.
At a joint press conference of key leaders of the JD (U) and the BJP, it was declared that the two partners have clinched a deal where both will have an almost equal share of the pie. "The JD(U) has got 122 seats out of which we have set aside seven for the Hindustani Awam Morcha (headed by former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi).
"The BJP has got the remaining 121 wherein new entrant Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) of Mukesh Sahni will be accommodated," Nitish told reporters.
On the occasion, deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said: "The LJP is our ally at the Centre and we pray for early recovery of its founder and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan. But there should be no confusion with regard to the fact that in Bihar the NDA's leader is Nitish Kumar."
"Our alliance with JD(U) is atoot (unbreakable) and Kumar will be our Chief Minister in all cases. It does not matter which party gets how many seats in the elections," Modi said.
In reply to a question about allegations of Chirag Paswan, Kumar, without taking the name of LJP chief, said: "I believe in doing my job. If some people derive pleasure out of saying something inconsequential, they are most welcome to do so. It does not bother me."
However, he sought to repudiate Chirag's allegation that the JD(U) has not treated its alliance partners in the state well and asked "did Ram Vilas Paswan get elected to the Rajya Sabha without JD(U)'s support?"
He also reminded Paswan about winning six Lok Sabha seats with JD(U)'s support.
Meanwhile, the BJP has released the list of its all 121 constituencies. The party has retained almost all sitting seats. In Patna district, the Digha Assembly seat, which was allotted to JD(U) in 2010, has been retained by BJP as it was won by the saffron party in 2015 Assembly polls.
The party has also released its first list of 27 candidates for the first phase. Former MP Hari Manjhi has been fielded from Bodh Gaya reserved seat and sitting MLA Ramadhar Singh will again try his luck from Aurangabad.
