BJP, JD(U) to contest 2019 on 17 seats each, LJP gets 6 in Bihar; Paswan to take Rajya Sabha route

Nitish Kumar, who reached New Delhi in the morning, addressing the media said, "Now that its decided we will contest together, all three parties will soon sit to decide which party will contest from which seat in Bihar."

By: Express Web Desk
New Delhi | December 23, 2018 01:08 PM IST

2 min read

BJP chief Amit Shah with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and LJP Chief Ramvilas Paswan. (Express Photo by Renuka Puri)

Putting an end to the growing speculation on a possible rift in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over seat-sharing in Bihar, BJP president Amit Shah Sunday announced that the saffron party and the Janata Dal (United) will contest on 17 seats each, while Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will fight on six out of the forty parliamentary seats in Bihar. LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan will not contest from Hajipur Lok Sabha constituency and, instead, take the Rajya Sabha route.

Flanked by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, LJP chief Paswan and son Chirag, Amit Shah said, “After a long discussion it has been decided that BJP will fight on 17 seats, JDU will contest on 17 and LJP will stand on 6 seats in Bihar, and Ram Vilas Paswan will be an NDA candidate for Rajya Sabha in the next polls.”

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“All three parties strongly believe that NDA will win more seats in 2019 than what we won in 2014 and have agreed that PM Modi will form the government at the centre,” Shah added. The BJP chief also said a plan will be put in place to finalise a campaign in Bihar ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Nitish Kumar, who reached New Delhi in the morning, addressing the media said, “Now that its decided we will contest together, all three parties will soon sit to decide which party will contest from which seat in Bihar.”

Referring to the 2009 general elections when the party contested as a BJP ally and the NDA had won 32 seats in the state, Nitish expressed hope of surpassing its previous tally. Nitish had moved out of the NDA in the 2014 general elections after Modi was made the prime ministerial candidate.

Meanwhile, Paswan said that there were no differences between the three parties in the alliance and they together decided the seat-sharing formula. Thanking his son Chirag, Paswan said that it was his decision to join NDA and we will try to win on all 40 seats.

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