Bihar polls: BJP designates seniors to find seat-sharing formula with JDU

NEW DELHI/PATNA: The BJP on Wednesday announced that it will contest the Bihar elections the party in alliance with the JD-U and the LJP, and deputed two senior functionaries to work out seat adjustment with JD-U chief Nitish Kumar. 

“BJP national general secretary Bhupender Yadav and former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis were sent to Patna to meet Nitish. The two leaders will report to the BJP leadership on Thursday,” a party insider said. 

Yadav told reporters that the NDA will contest the poll under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.  

“Everything will be okayed and cleared most probably by Thursday.” Fadnavis, meanwhile, was officially named as BJP’s election in-charge in Bihar.

Earlier in the day, the BJP brass went in a huddle with former party chief Amit Shah taking stock of the political situations in Bihar along with senior leaders, including party chief J P Nadda, organisational secretary B L Santosh, and Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi.

At the same time, JD-U MP Rajeev Ranjan alias Lalan Singh is camping in New Delhi to finalise poll tickets on behalf of his party.

It is reliably learnt that the JD-U will contest more number of seats than the BJP so that the latter can accommodate HAM led by Jitan Ram Manjhi.

The LJP was brought on board despite its chief Chirag Paswan issuing conflicting statements in the recent times.

Party sources said that the LJP may get to contest about 27 seats even as Paswan is demanding at least 42. Bihar has a total of 243 Assembly seats.

The JD-U has already refused to consider the LJP’s demand and placed the onus of managing this on the BJP.