Patna: With less than a year left for the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP in Bihar faces a daunting task of resolving the thorny seat-sharing issues among its allies — JD(U), LJP and RLSP.
Reports suggest that the two key allies of NDA in Bihar — LJP, and RLSP — have been upset at being offered less number of seats for the 2019 general elections. RLSP insiders said that the party has conveyed its demand for “at least three seats” to the BJP leadership and expects a final meeting over the issue at the earliest.
Speaking on the issue, RLSP leader Madhav Anand on Thursday said, “Our party wants Narendra Modi to return as Prime Minister in 2019 but as far seat adjustments are concerned we have already conveyed our expectations to the BJP”.
Sources said that the RLSP is being offered two and the LJP is being asked to contest on four seats in Bihar.
Earlier this week RLSP working president Nagmani had predicted “loss to the NDA in the Lok Sabha elections” if BJP ignored Upendra Kushwaha.
Political analysts said that RLSP has been upset at the way BJP gave more weight to chief minister Nitish Kumar and ignored other NDA allies in Bihar.
Last monthm BJP chief Amit Shah announced that his party would contest on an equal number of seats with JD(U) but offered only two seats to the RLSP.
“BJP has been giving more weight to JD (U) which has lost its base in Bihar. Upendra Kushwaha has emerged as a bigger leader than Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, therefore, it’s our party RLSP which deserves an honourable number of seats in the Lok Sabha election,” RLSP working president Nagmani told this newspaper.
