‘No tussle in NDA over seat sharing’

Seat sharing will not be a contentious issue for NDA partners in Bihar polls, BJP ally RLSP said on Sunday as it backed the alliance's decision not to project a chief ministerial face, insisting it went for the "best option" to contest under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

RLSP chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha also claimed that with Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and NCP walking out of the grand alliance, BJP-led NDA was bound to benefit.

Downplaying his party's stand that BJP contest only 102 of the state's 243 assembly seats leaving the rest for allies, Kushwaha said,"There was a demand, which we had aired in past. Now the talks are on. So it won't be appropriate to talk on this subject outside.

"I have no intention to bargain. Our only purpose is that there should be an NDA government in Bihar. We are working in this direction. We are not trying to do any pressure politics or make a bargain," Kushwaha, Minister of State for HRD told PTI in an interview, rubbishing reports of strain in NDA over seat sharing as "propaganda" by rivals. Asked whether NDA did the right thing in plunging the poll arena without announcing its chief ministerial candidate when the rival secular alliance had a seasoned campaigner in Nitish Kumar, he said,"It was the best option." 

"Opting to fight the election under Modi's leadership was the best option and we went for that. There is no challenge...

Nitish is not a challenge for NDA on Sunday," he said.

Kushwaha, whose party had a few months back demanded that he be declared NDA's Chief Ministerial candidate, <g data-gr-id="37">however</g> ducked questions on the issue.

When asked whether he expects the BJP to remain open to making even a <g data-gr-id="40">non</g>-BJP leader the Chief Minister, he said," Right now this is not the subject in the election. NDA has decided that election in Bihar will be fought under the leadership of Narendra Modi. This issue will be looked at when the time for it comes." 

Kushwaha also said BJP had "no say" in running the government when it was an alliance partner of JD(U).

"Remaining in alliance and heading the government are two different things. Everyone knows all policy decisions were being taken by Nitish Kumar. Only Nitish's diktat ran. BJP was in the government just in name and not in reality," he said. Kushwaha, a prominent leader of the Koiri community, which constitutes around five per cent of the electorate, trashed suggestions in the media that the Samajwadi Party walked out of the secular alliance in Bihar at BJP's bidding and said it was the result of the "arrogance" of Nitish Kumar.