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.
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, Kumar declared he will ‘stay forever’ in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“…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.
