After a meeting with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Bhartiya Janata Party President Amit Shah announced on Friday, 26 October, that both the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) will contest an equal number of seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Shah said the number of seats contested by both the parties in Bihar will be announced in a few days, while other allies will get a “respectable seat share”, reported news agency ANI.
Clearing the air on the BJP’s alliances in Bihar, Shah further added that the party will continue to ally with Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP).
“Upendra Kushwaha (of RLSP) and Ram Vilas Paswan (of LJP) will remain with us. When a new ally has joined us, there will be a reduction in seat share for everyone.”Amit Shah, BJP President
Reiterating Shah’s statement, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar told journalists that the announcement on seat share is likely to be declared in two to three days.
‘Nothing is Finalised’
Following the media address by Shah and Kumar, Union minister and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha said nothing has been finalised on seat sharing, ANI reported.
“Nothing is final on seat sharing. Amit Shah ji also said that we will finalise it in a few days.”Upendra Kushwaha, Union minister
Kushwaha’s remarks came after a meeting with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav at Arwal Circuit guest house. Even as he confirmed that the meeting took place, he refused to divulge details on a potential alliance in the run up to 2019 elections. “It's not compulsory to reveal what did we talk,” Yadav told reporters.
I had a scheduled event in Arwal and met him at the circuit house. Meetings are always positive. What conversation happened with whom, everything will be revealed in due time.Tejashwi Yadav, RJD Leader to ANI
Spoke to PM About Drought: Bihar CM
During their address to the media, Bihar CM also added that prior to the meeting with Shah, he had spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss acute water shortage in drought-affected areas of the state.
Twenty three districts have been declared as drought-affected, while there might be some more districts facing similar problems, Kumar said.
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