Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda on Saturday held a crucial meeting to discuss seat-sharing among the NDA alliance partners for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
Nadda, who was accompanied by party colleagues like Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, national general secretary and state in-charge Bhupendra Yadav and state president Sanjay Jaiswal, called on Kumar at his official residence 1, Anney Marg.
The JD(U) national president, who was accompanied by key party aide Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, accorded a warm welcome to Nadda, who hails from Himachal Pradesh but was born and brought up in Patna.
What was discussed at the meeting?
At the meeting which lasted for more than half an hour, the leaders of the two parties are understood to have discussed the key issue of seat-sharing among alliance partners in the NDA, which also includes Ram Vilas Paswans Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).
In the meeting, they also held a discussion on Jitan Ram Manjhi and Chirag Paswan. The BJP leadership is also understood to have assured Kumar that it will intervene and iron out the differences that have of late cropped up between the JD(U) and the LJP on account of the belligerent stance adopted by the latters young president Chirag Paswan.
According to JDU sources the party is is understood to have expressed its desire to contest more seats in Bihar. According to sources, JDU discussed its new partner Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) HAM(S) party.
It was agreed between the BJP and JDU that seats should be announced as soon as possible to ensure better coordination.
Bihar Assembly elections for 243 seats are due in October-November and the tenure of the current Assembly is scheduled to end on November 29. The schedule for assembly elections in the state is likely to be announced shortly. The Election Commission has indicated that it would like to conclude the exercise before end of term of the present house.
On the previous evening at a press conference here, the BJPs election in-charge for Bihar assembly Devendra Fadnavis had sought to make light of the acrimony between JD(U) and LJP and remarked "nobody is going to leave the NDA, though many may join us".
The former Maharashtra Chief Minister had also attributed the sharp differences that have emerged between the two parties to "diverse ideologies a reason why we all are separate political parties, though united in purpose".
Nadda, who arrived here on the previous evening on a two-day tour of Bihar, began his day by offering prayers at the famous Patan Devi temple in the old city, after which the Bihar capital is named.
After the meeting with the chief minister, his itineraryincludes launch of "Atmanirbhar Bihar Abhiyan" at the partys state headquarters followed by a visit to Muzaffarpur district where he will interact with women farmers and litchi cultivators at the village named after the legendary "Kisan Chachi", whose efforts at promoting entrepreneurship among rural women have earned her a Padma award.
Nadda is thereafter scheduled to visit Darbhanga, and interact with farmers involved in fisheries and production of makhana (fox nuts), both of which are found in abundance in the Mithila region of north Bihar.
(With PTI inputs)
