By Anirudh Singla
With the 2019 general assembly elections approaching, the BJP is gearing up for what could be its most trumping win, with most of the opposition silenced based on state assembly election results. Having ousted the SP and the BSP’s continuous cycle of power from Uttar Pradesh, and Nitish Kumar back on their side, the pathway for two major role-deciding states in the upcoming elections is clear, at least externally.
Allegations and rumours
Recently, there were rumours of seat sharing within the NDA that reached the BJP. With JD(U) joining the coalition recently, the seat-sharing formula will have to take a massive turn in terms of planning and ego-clashes. Speculations were that JD(U)s entry has led to consternation among the older BJP allies who had performed reasonably well in the seats they were allotted as per the seat-sharing formula. Ram Vilas Pawans Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which won six of the seven seats it contested, was supposedly coming out as among the dissidents. To quell all such rumours, Union Minister and LJPs Party Chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday cleared the air of ambiguity and explicitly stated that there was no tussle concerning the general assembly elections. He was quoted saying, There is no discord over seat-sharing in the NDA in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. All coalition partners in Bihar are working together so that the NDA is able to bag all the 40 seats falling in the state.
Quelling the rumours
The Union Minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution who was at Rajgir in the Nalanda district to attend LJPs two-day convention, went out of his way to dismiss such rumours and propagated the All is Well feeling. He also said, We had done spectacularly well in 2014 when Nitish Kumar was not with us. In the Bihar Assembly polls, the following year we had no problems whatsoever with regard to seat sharing. With Nitish in our camp, we are looking forward to doing it only better. With leaders coming out and quelling rumours, it is yet to be seen if these statements are make-overs for dissidence and bickering over internal disputes. All will clear when the NDA releases the seat-sharing formula internally and the real picture is out.
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