PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a hotel in Patna, amid speculations over seat-sharing talks between the NDA’s two major allies, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United). NDA sources, however, claimed that the meeting, which lasted for 30 minutes, was a ‘courtesy’ call.
Deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary, senior JD (U) leader and minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, and JD (U) national working president Sanjay Jha were also present at the meeting. This was the first major formal meeting between Nitish and Shah since the former’s return to the NDA side last year.
Sources said that the two leaders broadly discussed the contours about the seat sharing of the 243 assembly seats.
Union minister and HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi had been openly demanding not less than 15-20 seats, while union minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has also sought ‘respectable representation’, with the party MP Arun Bharti hinting at a Union minister and HAM-S leader Jitan Ram Manjhi had been openly demanding no less than 15-20 seats. While LJP (Ram Vilas), led by Chirag Paswan, has sought “respectable” representation, with Jamui MP Arun Bharti hinting at a claim of anywhere between 43 and 137 seats. “Most probably, Chirag will be offered 20 seats, Manjhi 15 seats and former union minister Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) getting seven seats. The remaining 201 seats will be distributed between JD (U) and BJP with a seat here or there,” claimed a political analyst.
Sources said that BJP and JD(U) have reached an understanding of contesting 100 and 101 seats, respectively. NDA’s junior allies have been trying to extract the maximum number of seats.
While Chirag’s LJP(RV) is vying for 40 seats, Manjhi’s HAM is willing to contest 20 seats. Kushwaha’s RLM has not yet disclosed the demand for seats. “The final call on seat-sharing arrangements within NDA will be taken by Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar,” a senior BJP leader told this reporter.
Elections are scheduled to be held in the state in October-November. The Election Commission is likely to announce the poll schedule in the first week of October. The model code of conduct will come in effect once the poll schedule is announced.
