RLSP wants to contest on more than 3 seats in polls

Patna: RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha on Friday said that his party wishes to contest on more than three seats in the next Lok Sabha elections.

His statements are likely to cause rumblings within the NDA as the BJP and JD(U) have already decided to contest on an equal number of seats in Bihar. Sources said that as per the formula, the BJP and JD(U) may contest on 17 seats each, another NDA constituent LJP is likely to get 4 and RLSP will be asked to contest on 2 seats.

Mr Kushwaha said that he has already conveyed his demands for “more than three seats” on grounds that his party’s base has increased in last few years.

“Our party had contested on three seats in 2014 and now since our base has increased in Bihar we should get more than three seats. I want BJP to analyse our party’s strength before finalising seats in Bihar”, RLSP chief and Union minister Upendra Kushwaha said.

Earlier, the LJP Bihar unit president Pashupati Paras had said that his party will not settle for less than the number of seats they had contested in the 2014 general elections.

“Without discussing seat-sharing formula with all four NDA alliance partners, the deal cannot be finalised. As far as our party is concerned, we had contested on seven seats and won six seats in the previous Lok Sabha elections. This time also, we would like to contest on the same number of seats,” Mr Paras said.

Mr Kushwaha and LJP leaders in Bihar have been upset at the way the BJP ignored other smaller NDA allies and gave more importance to chief minister Nitish Kumar on the issue of seat-sharing. While speaking on the issue, Mr Kushwaha said that the RLSP has been in alliance with the BJP and LJP since 2014 and wishes to remain with the NDA in 2019.

“RLSP’s alliance is with BJP and LJP and not with JD (U). Confusion within NDA increased after JD (U) returned to NDA fold. I will try and discuss seat-sharing formula with BJP Chief Amit Shah in the next few days”. Upendra Kushwaha said.

Mr. Kushwaha also reiterated that he was hurt by Nitish Kumar calling him a “neech” (low) person while giving a statement about him during an event in Patna last week.

“I used to treat him like my elder brother but after he called me a neech person I am hurt. I want him to withdraw his statement”, Upendra Kushwaha said.

When asked whether he sees RJD Chief Lalu Yadav as a bigger leader than Chief Minister Nitish Kumar he said, “Lalu Yadav is history now as he is not politically active and Tejashwi Yadav is still under training”.