BJP cracks Bihar poll deal with allies; to contest 160 of 243 seats

The National Democratic Alliance on Monday finalised its seat sharing for Bihar polls with the Bharatiya Janata Party contesting 160 out of the 243 assembly constituencies while allies Lok Janshakti Party and Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha being allotted 40 and 20 seats respectively.

Announcing the decision after days of hectic parleys, BJP chief Amit Shah, who was flanked by other key leaders of the alliance like LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and Manjhi, said that Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP will contest on 23 seats and stressed that there is "no tug of war" among the four NDA constituents over the seat sharing agreement for the next month's polls.

Shah also chose the occasion to appeal to workers of all the four NDA allies to fight the elections together to ensure a resounding victory for the alliance against the Nitish Kumar led Janata Dal United-Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress coalition.

Manji, who is former Bihar chief minister and leader of Hindustani Awaam Morcha (Secular), was apparently unhappy earlier after he was offered 15 seats.

The BJP chief said the issue of chief ministership will be decided by the NDA MLAs after the polls and asserted that there are no differences among the constituents.

"On the one side is a coalition of compulsion. On the other side is an alliance with a common chemistry and similar ideologies," Shah claimed.

Asking people of Bihar to give a chance to the NDA, Shah also reminded that Bihar was the cradle of anti-Congressism and urged the electorate to take forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a "Congress-mukt Bharat" (Congress-free India).

Shah launched a hard-hitting attack on the grand coalition of JDU-RJD and Congress saying divisions have already started appearing in it with Mulayam Singh Yadav -- the leader of the Janata Parivar -- walking out of the alliance.

Expressing confidence that the NDA will come to power in the key state, Shah accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of "backstabbing" the BJP by breaking the 17-year-long alliance in 2013 and castigated him for aligning with Congress and RJD.

"He (Nitish) is promising to give a corruption-free Bihar by aligning with Congress, which was involved in scams worth Rs 12 lakh crore. He is also promising to provide a crime-free Bihar while aligning with RJD's Lalu Prasad, whose tenure was known for 'jungle raj'," Shah said at the press conference.

Noting that the people of Bihar have given a chance to all three parties Congress, RJD and JD-U to rule the state, Shah said, "We appeal to people of Bihar to give one chance to NDA" and promised to realise the dream of the state's development if BJP is voted to power.

The five-phase polling for the 243-member assembly begins from October 12 and concludes on November 5.

Shah said the NDA will spell out its agenda in detail in its manifesto to be brought out in the coming days.

BJP's Central Election Committee is also meeting on Tuesday and could announce names of many party candidates for at least the first few phases of assembly elections scheduled on October 12, 16, 28, November 1 and 5.

Asked about RJD chief Prasad's assertion that the election will be for 'Mandal Raaj-2', a reference to the 1990s when backward castes rose to dominate the state's politics, Shah said the NDA had more "mandal-wale" (backward and weaker groups) leaders.

Asked about JD(U)'s dig that it made Manjhi chief minister, while BJP turned him into a "beggar" for seats, Shah shot back, saying his party's values were different and alleged that Manjhi was forced out of Bihar Niwas late in the night due to Kumar's vendetta.

He rejected the argument that the Bihar government asked him to leave as his stay there was in violation of the Model Code of Conduct, saying he could have stayed there by paying the required tariff.

"He (Kumar) stabbed in the back of people of Bihar by forcing BJP out of the alliance. Our values are different... His backstabbing will be an issue in these elections," Shah said.

He said it was the "fear" AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi which had prompted the grand alliance to accuse BJP of being behind his decision to contest the state polls. Shah said everybody knew that Owaisi would never wish his party well.

Responding to a query about actor-turned-BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha being upset with the party and reports that he will not be fielded as a major campaigner, he said all BJP workers would campaign. The BJP chief said the party was yet to submit its list of star campaigners to the Election Commission.  

Manjhi ‘satisfied’ with seats, calls truce with Paswan

After getting more seats than offered earlier, Manjhi said he was "fully satisfied" with the seat-sharing arrangement among NDA allies for contesting the state assembly polls.

He also sought to put an end to his tiff with fellow Dalit leader from the state and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

"I am fully satisfied with the decision over seat-sharing announced by BJP President Amit Shah. We are all working towards victory of NDA and the decision on seat sharing is acceptable to all," he said.

Manjhi's outfit Hindustani Awam Morcha was given 20 seats as part of the seat-sharing pact. Some of its leaders will also contest on BJP symbol. Manjhi was earlier offered 13-15 of the state's 243 assembly seats, which was increased to 20 after he dug in his heels.

Asked why he settled for lesser seats than the LJP which has no member in the outgoing assembly, Manjhi said his party had brought up the issue before Shah but accepted the final decision announced by him.

"Whatever decision he has taken is fine. We have accepted it. We are satisfied. There are no conditions in a coalition," he said, adding, "I had already offered unconditional support to Narendra Modi and told them (BJP) that I will be with NDA even if no seats are offered."

The former chief minister said there was a delay in announcement of the seat-sharing formula as some of his party's core group members were in Patna.

At one stage during the talks, marked by intense bargaining, Manjhi had sought parity with Paswan, claiming he was a bigger Dalit leader.

Asked if his differences with Paswan are over, Manjhi said, "He told me that he has nothing against me and explained to me everything during a journey on a flight. The matter ends there."

To a question if he considered LJP as being run by one family, he said, "If some family is competent to be in politics, no one should have objections."

On who is a bigger leader between him and Paswan, the HAM leader said, "It is for the people to decide."

Asked whether he too will contest the upcoming polls, Manjhi, who was expelled from JD(U) after he refused to step down as chief minister, said, "I am considering that. I will decide soon."