Chirag Paswan sets one condition for NDA seat-sharing talks in Bihar: 'Numbers don’t matter to me, but...'

Chirag Paswan, Union Minister and president of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). (File: PTI)

Preferring quality over quantity, Union minister Chirag Paswan has set only one condition for seat-sharing talks within the National Democratic Alliance ahead of the Bihar Assembly election scheduled to be held in October-November this year.

Paswan has apparently conveyed to the top NDA leadership in the state and the Centre that he does not want the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) to contest a high number of seats, but instead wants to field candidates in constituencies that are winnable.

Citing his 100 percent strike rate in the Lok Sabha elections where his party bagged all five seats that it contested, Paswan says it is a record he would like to repeat in the Assembly elections as well.

"Just like in the Lok Sabha elections, I would like to field candidates in seats where I can give a 100 percent strike rate. I had 100 percent in the Lok Sabha and want to retain that in the Assembly too. The numbers don’t matter to me, but I want seats that are 100 per cent winnable. I believe seat allocation should be based on this," Paswan said in conversation with a YouTube channel.

The BJP and the JD(U) see Chirag as both an asset and a threat. While the LJP(RV)'s performance in the Lok Sabha elections proved instrumental in the NDA's tally in Bihar last year, his decision to go solo in the previous Assembly polls in Bihar ended up significantly damaging the JD(U) despite his own party winning just one seat.

As per reports, the latest NDA seat-sharing figures indicate that out of 243 seats in Bihar, the JDU is expected to contest 102-103, the BJP 101-102, the LJP 25-28, HAM (Jitan Ram Manjhi's party) 6-7, and RLM (Upendra Kushwaha's party) 4-5.

Meanwhile, the NDA appears to be heading towards finalizing a seat-sharing deal with Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar calling on Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the latter's visit to Patna on Thursday.

While both the BJP and the JD(U) are tight-lipped about what transpired during the 20-minute-odd meeting, the seat-sharing between the five NDA partners is believed to have been discussed.

Local media reports suggest that Paswan, Manjhi, and Upendra Kushwaha are not satisfied with the seat-sharing agreement. On the other hand, the JD(U), which appears to be satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, wants only the BJP to hold discussions with partners like Manjhi, Paswan and Kushwaha.

Earlier reports had suggested that Paswan's LJP(RV) has demanded 30-40 seats, while Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha has initiated an aggressive bid for 15 seats and Kushwaha expects 8-10 seats.

Elections in Bihar are expected to be announced in the first week of October. The elections, slated to be held in 2-3 phases, are likely to be held in late-October and November. The term of the current Assembly concludes on November 22 this year.