First war in Janata Parivar: Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad spar over seat-sharing

NEW DELHI: Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad are locked in tough negotiations over seat-distribution for Bihar elections, with strong differences between them raising speculations ahead of the Janata Parivar merger.

The two leaders, who have driven the merger process to avoid a split in the anti-BJP votes, are insisting on a high number of tickets for their nominees. Though they would be party colleagues after the merger, Lalu and Kumar are pitching for their supporters to contest maximum seats.

The bone of contention is the criteria to be used for seat-distribution. JD(U) wants the 2010 assembly elections to be used as the benchmark. Then in partnership with BJP, chief minister Kumar's outfit had won a strong 115 seats in contrast to the complete decimation of RJD with just 22 seats in the 243 assembly.

In contrast, RJD argues that Kumar's performance was influenced by the saffron support base which is now its prime rival and instead wants the 2014 LS polls--in which JD(U) was decimated--to be the criteria.

RJD and JD(U) have decided to clinch the seat-distribution now so that differences between the bitter-rivals-turned-comrades are settled by the time elections approach.

However, the split over tickets has triggered speculation about its impact on the Janata merger. While individual outfits insist that Bihar polls would not be a stumbling bloc in the merger of six parties under the leadership of Mulayam Singh Yadav, it has also infused new life in the anti-unification group within.

Sources said Lalu is insisting on 100 seats while Nitish too is eager on a 100-plus tally. The ambitious scheme on the part of the duo may crush Congress which is likely to be a part of the alliance. Anyway, it is too marginal a force in the state to insist on a big share.

Amid the dissonance, the comforting factor for Janata players is the fact that the merger has already been announced and that the protagonists view Bihar polls as their battle for survival in the wake of their complete collapse in LS polls against BJP.

For JD(U), no compromise is seen as too costly as it would be compensated by the projection of Kumar as chief minister. The JD(U) leader is the only big name in the alliance given that Lalu Prasad is out of electoral politics following his conviction by a court in fodder scam.