Seat-sharing during assembly elections not as per Lok Sabha formula: Upendra Kushwaha

By Ravish Tiwari

NEW DELHI: A day after NDA alliance partner Rashtriya Lok Samata Party ( RLSP) pitchforked its party chief as NDA’s chief ministerial candidate, Upendra Kushwaha on Monday raised his party’s bargaining pitch claiming that it was decided that the Lok Sabha seat distribution formula will not apply for the seat distribution during the assembly elections.

"At the time of Lok Sabha elections, it was the agreed that the formula for seat distribution during Lok Sabha elections will not apply at the time of seat distribution at the time of assembly elections," Kushwaha said Monday indicating that the BJP will have to re-negotiate seat sharing with NDA partners.

Given the fact that RLSP was given to contest four Lok Sabha seats, Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP got to contest in seven seats, the corresponding assembly segment (assuming six assembly segments each Lok Sabha seat in Bihar) entitlement for RLSP will stand at 24 assembly seats while LJP can claim 42 seats on the basis of 2014 seat sharing formula.



Kushwaha’s rejection of 2014 seatsharing formula appears another attempt by BJP’s Bihar alliance partners to re-negotiate seat-sharing. A resolution approved by RLSP yesterday has already pitched 67 assembly seats for itself with 74 seats for LJP leaving little scope for Jitan Ram Manjhi’s flock. However, RLSP state unit leaders suggested that all alliance partners – BJP-LJP-RLSP – should proportionately vacate seats to accommodate Manjhi’s candidates.

The RLSP chief, who is also the Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, today, however, indicated that his party was flexible to negotiate seat sharing and its proposal passed yesterday was not final.