Allies give BJP ultimatum on seat-sharing in Bihar

The simmering discontent among NDA partners came to the fore on Monday, when the Ram Vilas Paswan-headed LJP and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP held a joint press conference here to issue an ultimatum to the BJP to resolve within a week the seat-sharing pact for the upcoming Assembly polls.

Perturbed over the attack from its two valuable partners in the state, the BJP rushed its general secretary and Bihar in-charge Bhupendra Yadav to meet Paswan’s son Chirag, also the chairman of the LJP Parliamentary Board, in Patna, where the Rajya Sabha member reportedly tried to assuage its allies' ruffled feathers.

The rumblings began on Monday when the LJP’s Bihar unit chief and Paswan’s younger brother Pashupati Kumar Paras issued an ultimatum to the BJP. “We have information that the model code of conduct will come into force from September 5. We have, therefore, asked the BJP to clear its stand on seat-sharing within one week,” said Paras, flanked by Bihar RLSP chief Arun Kumar.

Deccan Herald had reported on Monday how the BJP had not been able to reach a seat-sharing pact with its allies because of their unreasonable demands.However, Yadav said: “There is no misunderstanding at all and all issues related to seat-sharing will be resolved soon.”

The statement came close on the heels of Kushwaha suggesting that the BJP contest only 102 seats — as it had done in 2010 Assembly polls — out of 243 constituencies in the state, and leave the rest for its allies: the LJP, the RLSP and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM.

Riding high on the Modi wave, the BJP, on the other hand, wants to contest as many seats as possible. so it is not dependent too much on allies after the polls.

“The NDA is a large conglomeration of different groups and parties. But there is no discontent as such. We will sort out the seat-sharing issue with our allies very soon,” said Bihar BJP president Mangal Pandey.