Countdown begins for Bihar polls after BJP announces seat-sharing deal, grand alliance unveils governance charter

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party clinched a seat-sharing deal with its alliance partners for next month's Bihar elections after a fortnight of tough negotiations on Monday and plans to waste no time in finalising its candidates for constituencies going to polls in the first two phases.

BJP president Amit Shah along with leaders of alliance partners announced the seat-sharing arrangement where BJP will contest 160 of 243 assembly seats in the state. Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok JanshaktiParty will contest in 40 seats, while Union minister Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samata Party has got 23 seats and former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha has got 20 assembly seats.

Soon after announcing the deal, ex-Bihar deputy CM Sushil Modi said the central election committee (CEC)of BJP is likely to meet on Tuesday. "We will consider candidates from the first two phases," he told ET. As many as 81 assembly segments spread across 16 districts —Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Nawada,Jamui, Bhabua, Rohtas, Arwal, Jahanabad, Aurangabad and Gaya — will go to polls in the first two phases on October 12 and 16.

The CEC meeting is likely to finalise candidates for seats where BJP expects no claim from its partners. State leaders Mangal Pandey, NK Yadav and Sushil Modi have already arrived in the Capital to further narrow down the candidate lists before it is presented to the CEC on Tuesday. The BJP candidate selection meeting was scheduled after the party finally culminated formal seat-sharing negotiations with alliance partners that began with a meeting of leaders of Bihar NDA constituents at BJP chief Amit Shah's residence on August 31.