Patna, April 24: In the NDA’s summer of discontent, the two ruling partners in Bihar have struck a deal on sharing two Legislative Council seats that fell vacant following the death of the two RJD legislators who held them.

Lalu Prasad’s outfit can’t stake claim to the seats because of its depleted strength in the Assembly.

Byelections to three council seats will be held on May 9. The vacancies were caused by the deaths of the members: Ramashray Prasad Singh (JD-U) and the RJD’s Badshah Prasad “Azad” and Ramchandra Prasad.

The JD(U) and BJP have agreed to share one seat each of the two vacated by the RJD.

The Election Commission has issued separate notifications for holding the polls to all these three seats which means that a party requires at least 122 MLAs in the 243-member Assembly to elect an MLC. The JD(U) has 118 MLAs of its own and enjoys the support of four Independents against the BJP’s 91 — the party will rquire at least 30 more MLAs to get its nominee elected.

“But we have shown large-heartedness by sparing a seat for our alliance partner,” said a senior JD(U) leader who did not wish to be named. Sources said chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy, Sushil Kumar Modi, held “indoor parleys” to seal the deal.

But there is a catch in the “large-heartedness”. The JD(U) has spared the seat for the BJP which will have its representative retire next year itself as Badshan Azad was scheduled to retire in 2014. Had Ramchandra Prasad been alive, he would have retired in 2016. The JD(U) has kept Ramchandra’s seat in its quota and hence its member will enjoy a longer tenure in the House.

The JD(U) has a natural claim on the seat of its deceased MLC, Ramashray Prasad Singh, who would have retired in 2018. The JD(U) is likely to field former minister Manzar Alam from this seat in a bid to bolster its clout among the Muslims — the party is targeting this section with renewed vigour in the wake of its rift with the BJP on the issue of the possible projection of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 elections.

JD(U) leader Rajkishore Kushwaha’s name is doing the rounds for the seat vacated by Ramchandra Prasad. Sources in the BJP said the party would decide on its candidate by late tonight or tomorrow.

Asked if the “deal” was an indicator of a thaw in the hostility between the allies, a senior JD(U) leader remarked, “Nothing much should be read in the seat-sharing agreement.”

The sources maintained that neither the BJP nor the JD(U) found a few council seats worth enough to precipitate the fight. “Why should we take the blame of breaking the alliance for the sake of just one council seat,” asked a senior JD(U) leader.

BJP leaders, for a change, echoed their allies.

The last date of filing the nomination papers for the three seats is April 30. If the RJD or other Opposition parties abstain from putting up their candidates, the Election Commission might declare the three elected much in advance of the scheduled date for the polls.