Lok Sabha elections: BJP, Nitish Kumar's JD(U) finalise seat-sharing deal in Bihar

The Bharatiya Janata Party will contest on 17 seats in Bihar, while National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Janata Dal (United) will contest on 16 seats

Updated on: Mar 18, 2024, 17:50:17 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Aryan Prakash

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The Bharatiya Janata Party will contest on 17 seats in Bihar, while National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Janata Dal (United) will contest on 16 seats, BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde announced on Monday. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), headed by Chirag Paswan, will contest on five seats.

“BJP will contest on 17 seats, JDU on 16 seats, LJP (Ram Vilas) on 5 seats, Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha on one seat each...” Tawde was quoted by ANI as saying.

"Five seats have been given to Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). We will win all 40 Lok Sabha seats of Bihar," said Raju Tiwari, Bihar State President, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) at the briefing.

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JD(U) led by Nitish Kumar, had returned to the NDA earlier in January, 18 months after the Bihar chief minister had joined hands with Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal.

At an NDA rally in Aurangabad earlier this month which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar declared he will ‘stay forever’ in the NDA.

“...You (PM Modi) had come earlier as well, 'par idhar hum gayab ho gaye the. Hum phir aapke saath hai (I disappeared (from NDA) for some time but now I am with you). I assure you that I will not go here and there. 'Hum rahenge aap hi ke saath'...," Kumar had said.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and JD(U) had contested elections on 17 seats each. The NDA had won 39 out of 40 seats in the state. However, Kumar had broken ties with the BJP in 2022 to briefly run a government with the RJD.

Polling in Bihar will be held in seven phases on April 19, 26, May 7, 13, 20, 25 and June 1, the Election Commission announced on Saturday. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

A file photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in Aurangabad on March 2.

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