Nitish Kumar likely to lead NDA in Bihar polls

New Delhi: As the wrestle in Bihar intensifies, the ruling NDA is expected to project chief minister Nitish Kumar once again as the lead, and keep its flock tighter, especially with Chirag Paswan demanding more seats. A key meet of the NDA will take place after the elections for the vice-president takes place where seat distribution will be fleshed out. 

Sources in the BJP said that the BJP and the JDU both intend to keep 100 seats each. However, the cause for worry for the BJP this term is Chirag Paswan who is demanding 40 seats in the 243-seats assembly. The JDU, however, is not keen on giving as many to Chirag.

BJP leaders said that the JDU has advised the BJP that Chirag be given only 20 seats. “He has time and again flexed before elections to bargain for a better deal,” a senior leader from the BJP Bihar unit said.

The leader added that to pacify JDU, the BJP is willing to give more seats — 105 seats in comparison to 100 seats — in case it parts with more than 20 seats to Chirag.

BJP leaders said that, in the last few weeks, they met the top leadership of the BJP more than once and discussions are ongoing. In a meeting with BJP president J P Nadda, it was communicated to him that Chirag might sort out issues within his own party to keep the coalition stable. “He had intimated to the leadership that he needs to do this to keep his supporters and voters intact,” a senior BJP leader said.

Apart from that, the Jitan Manjhi led HAM and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha will also be part of the alliance.

Sources in the BJP also said that the party has been facing heat due to the “voter chori” yatra by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. The party’s workers in the state unit have said that the Yatra might have an adverse effect on the ruling coalition’s prospects in the state.

The BJP had formed a team of 98 NDA leaders to counter the yatra, dividing the leaders in 14 teams, with seven teams headed by BJP leaders and seven others led by JDU leaders.