Did BJP bargain for lion’s share of LS berths in Bihar?

New Delhi: The BJP, which named JD(U)’s candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh as the NDA’s nominee for the coveted post of Rajya Sabha’s Deputy Chairman, has reportedly bargained for a lion’s share of Lok Sabha berths in Bihar for the forthcoming elections.

The BJP, it was learnt, has indicated to the JD(U) that it will get “4-5 more” parliamentary seats than the last time in the seat-sharing formula. Mr Singh’s victory not only gave a boost to the ruling NDA, with non-NDA outfits BJD and TRS backing the NDA nominee but also indicated reciprocity as the JD(U), which rejoined the NDA fold last year, has no representative in the Modi government. Unlike in 2009 when the allies fought the Lok Sabha polls when JD(U) contested on 26 and BJP on 14, this time the seat-sharing formula will also include LJP and RLSP. Both the JD(U) and the BJP will also have to “accommodate” their junior partners in the state, LJP and RLSP, while finalising the seat-sharing formula. Both the LJP and RLSP’s supremos Ram Vilas Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha are ministers in the Modi government. The JD(U) had won only two parliamentary berths in 2014 after quitting the NDA a year before.

Speculation is rife in the BJP’s Bihar unit that the party top brass has indicated to the JD(U) chief and state chief minister Nitish Kumar that the saffron party will have an upper hand when it comes to the seat-sharing formula for 40 Lok Sabha berths in the state. The issue had become a bone of contention between the two allies recently but was “sorted out” after BJP chief Amit Shah held a meeting with Mr Kumar.