Parties settle down to nitty gritties of seat-sharing in Bihar

With Bihar assembly polls scheduled later this year, both ruling NDA and RJD-LJP alliance have started burning the midnight oil trying to give final shape to the contentious issue of seat-sharing, with major partners eyeing the lion's share.

With Bihar assembly polls scheduled later this year, both ruling NDA and RJD-LJP alliance have started burning the midnight oil trying to give final shape to the contentious issue of seat-sharing, with major partners eyeing the lion's share.

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Other parties like the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati have decided to put up candidates in all the 243 seats in Bihar.

The Samajwadi Party and Left parties -- CPI-ML(L), CPI, and CPI-M are yet to decide the number of seats they will contest either alone or in alliance.

Given the high political stakes involved, the ruling JD(U) and BJP are treading cautiously on the crucial issue.

Snubbed by senior partner and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after his photograph appeared with his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi in an advertisement in June, the BJP leadership, already grappling with internal party squabbles, is also under fire from workers with the reported bid by JD(U) to contest more seats it had contested in 2005.

JD(U) had in 2005 contested from 138 of the 243 seats, leaving 103 seats to BJP. The two had a friendly fight in two other constituencies.

"We will not concede any seat to the JD(U)," state BJP president Dr C P Thakur says, adding it would include four seats in the Patna Saheb parliamentary constituency.

JD(U) insiders say the party has staked claim for more seats, including Digha and Kumhrar in Patna Lok Sabha constituencies.

It is being believed that the chief minister is thinking of contesting from Digha assembly constituency in Patna.