Nitish Kumar Reaffirms JD(U)-BJP Alliance Moving Into 2019 Lok Sabha Polls, Says 'Honourable Agreement' Reached on Seat-Sharing
Notably, the JD(U) had signalled a rebellion when the BJP presented its first draft on seat-sharing, which had triggered a crucial meeting between Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar.
Patna, Sept 16: At the Janata Dal (United) state executive committee meeting held on Sunday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reaffirmed his party's pact with the Bharatiya Janata Party moving into the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Nitish, while addressing the party convention, said he has not compromised on the interests of JD(U) cadres while deciding to join hands with the BJP to contest in the general elections next year. Poll Strategist Prashant Kishor Takes Political Plunge; Joins JD(U) In Presence Of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
"An honourable agreement has been reached", said Nitish, without specifying the numerical details of the seat-sharing pact inked with the BJP.
Notably, the JD(U) had signalled a rebellion when the BJP presented its first draft on seat-sharing. As per the details of the draft accessed by reporters, the BJP wanted to contest on 20 of the 40 constituencies of Bihar, leaving 12 for the JD(U), 6 for Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP and 2 for Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP.
The pact, however, was unacceptable to the JD(U) which said it was "neither fair nor honourable". Since the Nitish-led party is the single-largest NDA constituency in the Bihar assembly, the Chief Minister had reportedly sought the same number of seats which the BJP will keep.
A senior JD(U) leader, while speaking to local media on the condition of anonymity, said the party has demanded 17 seats each for the BJP and JD(U), while the remaining 6 should be given to Paswan's LJP.
Kushwaha, the leader claimed, is on his way out of the NDA, and has also initiated back-channel talks with the RJD-Congress combine. Notably, the RLSP chief had triggered a controversy saying that the milk supplied by Yadavs -- considered to be a core constituency of RJD -- will make for a perfect kheer if combined with the rice produced by Koeris -- the caste group he represents.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2018 05:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).