JD(U) says it will play ‘big brother’ in Bihar in 2019 Lok Sabha polls
KC Tyagi’s statement assumes political significance in view of BJP President Amit Shah’s likely visit to Bihar next week where he will meet and address hundreds of party leaders and workers.
A day after dubbing his party’s national executive meeting in Delhi as a routine affair, JD(U) secretary general K C Tyagi changed tack on Saturday to spell out the prevailing mood that it would not settle for anything less than the lead role in the state with chief minister Nitish Kumar as the face of the NDA.
Tyagi’s statement that the party was set to contest a sizeable number of seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, befitting its numerical strength in the state assembly, is indicative of its desire to seal its position as the “big brother” in the state politics.
Apparently, the secretary general was making amends for ruling out that seat sharing or alliance would be discussed at the national executive. His reiteration of what JD(U) leaders have been airing for quite some time will provide the cue for members to strongly pitch for the party’s aspiration before Nitish Kumar at the meeting of its highest decision making body in Delhi on Sunday.
More than a prod for airing a collective view, the timing of the announcement also assumes political significance as BJP president Amit Shah is scheduled to meet Nitish Kumar, during his visit to the state on July 12.
The unanimous endorsement of the idea will set the stage for both the sides to calibrate their respective calculations, ahead of the 2019 LS polls, before they sit down to thrash out an acceptable seat sharing formula in the changed equation in NDA, since the entry of JD(U) into the fold in July last year.
According to sources, JD(U) has already sounded out BJP Bihar incharge Bhupender Yadav about its intentions to contest more seats than the saffron party in the state. JD(U) national president Kumar met national office bearers in Delhi on Saturday evening.
The development, amid speculation of growing differences over seat sharing in NDA, will put the deal making skills of BJP’s leadership to a stress test as JD(U) insiders said that the party will contest more seats, even if the number turns out to be a “token of acknowledgement” of its senior partner status in the state.
Given the treatment meted out to the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, a sizeable section in JD(U) is wary of BJP’s dealing with allies. “We do not want to leave anything to chance, as the issue of the strike rate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will definitely come into play during the state assembly polls in 2020 and we want to settle the issue at the earliest,” said a senior leader of Kumar-led party, requesting not to be quoted.
Another ally of NDA, Union minister of state Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP, which has been demanding early clarity on seat sharing to provide ample time for poll preparedness, has already started preparations for contesting all 40 seats, which will anyway help in ensuring the victory of alliance party candidates if all goes well.
Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.