With barely a month left for the Bihar Assembly Elections, the Bihar battleground is preparing for political upheavals. The latest reports are that Chirag Paswan is upset with the seat-sharing talks within the NDA, and is eyeing other options.
Unconfirmed reports state that Paswan could tie up with Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party. Both Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Jan Suraaj Party share the same ‘youth first’ ideology. Kishor, who makes his electoral debut in Bihar, is also seeking an ally with a strong vote base, and Paswan could be an ideal candidate, according to local media reports.
On an alliance with the Jan Suraaj Party, LJP sources say that the door is always open. “Options are always available in politics,” sources told local media. They added that the NDA needed to understand that Chirag Paswan is a dynamic face against Tejashwi Yadav. “Chirag Paswan has not moved into his official residence on Sunhari Bagh Road,” sources said, adding that the party wouldn’t be threatened by anyone over cabinet posts. “Respectable seats in Bihar matter more than a single berth in the Cabinet,” they added.
Significantly, after the announcement of the Bihar election dates, LJP spokesperson Dhirendra Munna claimed that they were prepared for all 243 seats.
However, many also see the reports as a pressure tactic to seek more seats. Talks are on between LJP and BJP in Delhi. Paswan will reportedly fly home on Wednesday.
Chirag Paswan’s demand
The LJP has reportedly asked for 40 seats, but the BJP leadership isn’t willing to relent. They insist on giving just 25, something that hasn’t gone down well with Paswan. He believes his party’s stellar performance in the Parliament elections, winning all five seats the party contested, proves his winnability.
But, fact remains that his victories happened when he allied with the BJP, and without the saffron base, he may not maintain the same strike rate.
If Paswan is not willing to listen to the BJP’s demands, the BJP may be forced to allot his share, but it will come at the cost of other allies: Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Samata Party.
The BJP will then have to give Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council seats to Manjhi’s and Kushwaha’s party.
According to reports, the current agreement is that the BJP and JDU contest an equal number of seats, 205. A formula is being prepared to divide the remaining 38 seats among Paswan, Manjhi, and Kushwaha. |
