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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Bihar polls: NDA fails to reach consensus on seats
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Bihar polls: NDA fails to reach consensus on seats

Trouble for the NDA began after Manjhi threatened to leave the alliance if he was not given as many seats as were being allotted to Ram Vilas Paswan's LJSP

A file photo of Hindustan Avam Morcha chief and former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi. Photo: PTIPremium
A file photo of Hindustan Avam Morcha chief and former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Despite two days of hectic negotiations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was unable to hammer out a seat-sharing arrangement with its allies for the coming Bihar assembly election.

The trouble for the NDA began after Hindustan Avam Morcha (HAM) chief and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi threatened to leave the alliance if he was not given as many seats as were being allotted to Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJSP).

According to the present seat-sharing arrangement, the BJP will contest 160 seats, LJSP 40, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) 25 seats and HAM 15.

Bihar has 243 seats.

The assembly elections will be held in the state in five phases—on 12, 16, 28 October and 1 and 5 November. The result will be announced on 8 November.

The BJP leaders are now trying to convince Manjhi to stay with the NDA.

“The BJP has offered 15 seats; another five members of his party will contest on BJP tickets. This is his best bet. There is no reason why there should be any differences within the NDA," said a senior BJP leader involved in drawing up the election strategy for Bihar on condition of anonymity.

Senior BJP leaders said Manjhi will have to stay with the NDA as he cannot join hands with his bête noire and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

The leaders have told Manjhi that if HAM decides to leave the NDA, the party will be the biggest loser in the state polls.

“We are talking regularly. There no differences within the NDA," said Bhupender Yadav, BJP’s Bihar in-charge after meeting Manjhi.

BJP leaders believe that equating Manjhi and Paswan was not correct because Paswan has a bigger backing in Bihar than Manjhi.

Senior BJP leaders Dharmendra Pradhan, Anant Kumar and Bhupender Yadav on Sunday met party president Amit Shah to discuss Manjhi’s demand and its implications.

The three leaders also met Manjhi to convince him of the existing of seat-sharing plan.

Meanwhile, HAM members said seat-sharing talks are on the right track and the BJP was considering increasing the number of seats allotted to them.

“I am not angry. I am not upset, it is not correct to say that I am upset," Manjhi told reporters on Sunday.

Political analysts say such a hard bargain by HAM was unexpected as it has no choice but to stay with the NDA.

“This is nothing more than posturing for more seats. Both Manjhi and the BJP know that he cannot go anywhere. There is no space for Manjhi in the grand alliance. It was not expected that there will be hard bargain within the NDA," said A.K. Verma, Kanpur-based political analyst and political science professor at Christ Church College.

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Published: 14 Sep 2015, 12:21 AM IST
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