RJD may offer 13 seats to Cong and 1 to NCP, but no consensus yet
The suspense over pre-poll alliance in Bihar may end in a couple of days after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday rubbished any possibility of aligning with the Congress, which has few options but to strike a deal with the RJD. Sources said the RJD chief lalu Prasad has agreed to offer 13 seats to the grand old party and one to the NCP.
lalu has, however, denied any consensus on seat-sharing and said he was open to exchanging a few seats or give one more to seal the alliance in Bihar. lalu had initially offered 11 seats to the Congress.
“I have seen news about a deal between the RJD and the Congress being clinched... Such reports are mischievous and motivated and being telecast by news channels supporting the BJP,” lalu said. The fodder scam convicted former
Union Minister reiterated that he had offered only 11 seats to the Congress and one to the NCP for an alliance of 12-28 (Cong-NCP-RJD), but no final decision had been taken by the partners.
On reports that AICC incharge of Bihar CP Joshi had spoken to him about the new seat-sharing formula in Bihar, lalu said that he had no knowledge about what was transpiring in the Congress as far as alliance with his party was concerned.
Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar ruled out possibility of any alliance with the Congress and stated that it was not possible even if they (Congress-led UPA) take a last minute decision on the special status demand to the State. Nitish said that both the Congress and the RJD were natural allies.
“Sawal hi paida nahi hota hai…it’s a baseless speculation and there is no truth in it at all,” Nitish said when asked about any chance of his party making an alliance with the Congress.
He, however, mentioned that the JD(U) would have electoral tie-up with the left parties like the CPI and the CPM in Bihar for the coming general elections. “While understanding on seats has been reached with the CPI the same is in process with the CPM,” the Bihar Chief Minister said though he did not divulge the seats.