BJP holds meeting with allies on seat sharing arrangement

NEW DELHI: With Bihar election dates announced, BJP today held separate meetings with its allies to give final shape to their seat-sharing arrangements amid feud between its two partners, Mahadalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi and Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP.

Paswan said seat distribution will be announced in two-three days as he met BJP leader and its Bihar election in-charge Ananth Kumar.

Manjhi, who has attacked Paswan's credentials as a Dalit leader and made demand for more seats than reportedly being considered by BJP, also held talks with Kumar but declined to talk about the number of seats his fledgling outfit wanted to fight.

He, however, soft-pedalled his recent attack on Paswan, saying it was like differences among brothers.

Sources said Manjhi was unhappy over Paswan's LJP contention that some of his party MLAs should not be given tickets as they had ditched LJP earlier.

Manjhi has claimed that he has 12 sitting MLAs while LJP and Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP have none.

Sources said BJP wanted to contest anywhere between 160-170 seats among the 243 constituencies, leaving the rest to its three allies.