E-Paper
BJP gives 11 seats to VIP in bid to keep JD(U) alliance intact
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has moved to pre-empt cracks from surfacing in its alliance with the Janata Dal (United), or JD (U), ahead of the Bihar elections by allotting 11 seats out of its quota to a smaller ally and issuing a clear directive to the Lok Janshakti Party not to use Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s images and speeches and central government policies in the poll campaign.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has moved to pre-empt cracks from surfacing in its alliance with the Janata Dal (United), or JD (U), ahead of the Bihar elections by allotting 11 seats out of its quota to a smaller ally and issuing a clear directive to the Lok Janshakti Party not to use Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s images and speeches and central government policies in the poll campaign.
Giving up the 11 seats to the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) means the BJP will contest 110 seats in the 243-member Bihar assembly; chief minister Nitish Kumar’s JD (U), which has allotted seven seats out of its 122 to Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha (Secular), will be in the fray for 115 seats.
The BJP initially wanted to contest the same number of seats as the JD (U) before agreeing to settle for less.
According to two BJP functionaries.LJP chief Chirag Paswan’s sharp remarks against the JD(U) and chief minister Nitish Kumar after deciding not to contest the Bihar elections as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) while simultaneously heaping praise on the Prime Minister was seen as an attempt to create friction between the alliance partners.
Subsequent speculation that the LJP’s decision had the tacit approval of the BJP and that the latter wanted to emerge from the elections as the single-largest party in the assembly and lay claim to the CM’s post also upset the JD(U).
The LJP’s decision to oppose the JD(U) has raised fears hat it could play spoiler in seats where Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal and the JD(U) were set for a direct contest.
“The LJP seems to think it holds the key to the election,” said a BJP functionary who asked not to be named.
In the 2005 assembly Bihar assembly elections, the LJP, citing differences with the RJD, fielded candidates against it and not against the Congress. All three parties were allies and part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
“The LJP won 29 seats and considered itself as the kingmaker, but the state went for a re-election later in the year and the LJP failed to get as many seats,” the BJP functionary added.
On the assumption that the LJP could dent the JD (U)’s vote bank, something that will work in favour of the BJP, a second party functionary said the BJP expects the NDA to win over 200 seats in the elections.
“Between Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM and the VIP, which counts the most backward communities as its support base, we do not foresee the LJP damaging the NDA or playing a spoiler. We will honour our pre-poll alliances,” the second functionary said.
Analyst Shankar Dutt of Patna University said the LJP’s decision to go it alone, oppose the JD (U) and possibly dent the former’s vote bank may have affected the NDA’s prospects
“It is quite possible that the post- poll scenario that will emerge may force a new alliance and also that a lot of pre-poll arrangements may not last,” Dutt said.
