Bihar Polls: LJP, RLSP want NDA seat-sharing plan worked out within 7 days

PATNA: Two alliance partners of the BJP have asked it to complete seat-sharing for the Bihar assembly polls in a week.

“The BJP should make sure that the seat-sharing exercise is completed within one week. This is necessary because the assembly polls are barely two months away and the candidates should get sufficient time for campaigning,” Lok Janshakti Party’s Bihar chief PK Paras and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party state chief Arun Kumar said at a joint press conference in Patna on Monday.

The ruling JD(U), RJD and Congress have struck a seatsharing pact, psychologically upstaging the NDA. The LJP and RLSP seemed upset over the delay and the deadline they set is seen as an ultimatum served on the BJP.

“Look how JD(U) and RJD have sealed their seat-sharing pacts. Their deal looked improbable, given the hostility between Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad… It is high time that we formalise the deal as early as possible,” Paras said. He said the BJP should contest 103 seats and leave 140 constituencies for allies.

Arun Kumar admitted that public remarks of BJP leaders had created misgivings among RLSP and LJP cadres. “Instead of saying things in public, the BJP should convene an NDA meeting to sort out the problems. It was very intriguing for the BJP to allow entry of new leaders into their party fold but when we admit leaders into our party, the saffron party would, however, make a noise. The election is very close and we should have a joint strategy to face the challenge. NDA’s poll prospects will otherwise take a hit,” Arun Kumar said.