NEW DELHI: As the nomination process for the Bihar Assembly election has begun, Upendra Kushwaha and Jitan Ram Manjhi are continuing to exert pressure for more seats. On Saturday, a series of meetings were held at BJP National President J. P. Nadda’s residence in Delhi.
RLM President Upendra Kushwaha expressed displeasure while writing on X, “Don’t be fooled by rumours. The talks haven’t concluded yet. Wait…! I don’t know how the news is being circulated in the media. If someone is planting news, it’s a hoax, a fraud. You all should remain vigilant.” He is likely to meet BJP top leaders in Delhi for seat-sharing talks.
Responding to Kushwaha’s remarks, BJP State President Dilip Jaysawal said in Delhi, “The issue of seat-sharing is finalised, but the announcement regarding this will be made Sunday by 11 a.m. The BJP CEC will also meet on Sunday. NDA is like rock. Everyone will sit together and make an announcement. I am also saddened by the seat figures circulating on social media.”
Meanwhile, leaders of the Bihar core group met with National President J. P. Nadda for seat sharing and candidate selection.
The parliamentary board of LJP (Ramvilas) was held in Delhi on Saturday, and the party leaders authorised National President Chirag Paswan for finalising candidates, number of seats, and election campaigns. BJP and LJP(R) leaders claimed that the NDA seat-sharing dispute has been resolved after the fourth round of meetings. Sources indicate that the tussle between the BJP and LJP(R) over seats has ended. The LJP(R) is likely to contest on 26 to 29 Assembly seats.
Not only this, before leaving for his ministry shortly after the meeting, Chirag Paswan appeared to signal agreement to the question of a done deal on Friday.
Paswan had earlier demanded more than 40 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly elections, issuing a stern statement on October 4 that he would remain a minister as long as possible.
According to sources, the tentative seat allocation is: JDU – 102 seats, BJP – 101 seats, HAM – 8 seats, and RLSP – 6 seats. The official announcement is expected on October 12, Sunday.
