New Delhi/Patna, June 22: Upendra Kushwaha, a key ally in Bihar, today termed the BJP's seat-sharing formula based on the Lok Sabha performance of partners "unacceptable", in clear signs of unrest brewing in the NDA camp.
This posturing from Kushwaha comes on the back of his Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) lobbing his name in the chief ministerial candidate's race that has upset the BJP.
"There is no question of applying the Lok Sabha performance to decide seat-sharing in the Assembly elections. We had discussed this issue and the BJP leadership had agreed that Lok Sabha formula will not be used in the Assembly polls," Kushwaha told reporters today, indicating the will to drive a hard bargain with the senior ally.
Kushwaha today backed the resolution by his party to make him the NDA's chief ministerial candidate. He felt there was nothing wrong in it and said other NDA partners were free to make similar proposals. "Other NDA partners are free to come up with their resolution. Let all NDA partners sit and discuss what is best for the alliance. Who will make a better chief ministerial candidate," Kushwaha said on asked about his party's resolution to project him as chief minister.
The BJP, despite being upset over Kushwaha's party lobbing his name in the CM ring, saw this posturing as a tactic to drive a hard bargain over seat-sharing. The BJP, at the same time, finds it difficult to reject Kushwaha's claim outright since he is an OBC leader and they need him to counter the Lalu-Nitish combine.
Kushwaha's RLSP has three MPs in the current Lok Sabha but the party is demanding many more seats to contest in upcoming Assembly elections but the BJP appears in no mood to oblige.
The BJP wants to contest a lion's share of the total 243 seats in Bihar and at best is willing to offer between 20-30 seats to the RLSP and 40-50 seats for the Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party, sources said. With Jitan Ram Manjhi also joining the NDA bandwagon, the kitty is shrinking. The BJP wants to contest not less than 160 seats, according to sources.
Kushwaha, however, appeared in no mood to accept this as he pressed for the seat sharing formula to be based on the last Assembly elections that the BJP contested in alliance with Nitish Kumar-led JDU. "We are the natural replacement for the JDU in the NDA. So we need a respectable number of seats to contest," Kushwaha said, seeking to underline the fact that he had broken away from the JDU and formed the RLSP.
According to Kushwaha, the BJP should contest 102 seats, the same number it had contested in alliance with the JDU in the 2010 elections. The LJP should be given 74 seats, the same number it had contested in alliance with the RJD in 2010 and the rest 67 be left for the RLSP, Kushwaha said today. "There is no question of giving 67 seats to Kushwaha. He doesn't have that many candidates. Moreover, now we also have to accommodate Manjhi's party," said a BJP leader, handling the Bihar affairs.
Kushwaha welcomed Manjhi in the NDA fold but feels that for him all the NDA constituents should sacrifice and the BJP the most. "All the NDA constituents should leave seats to accommodate Manjhi. And it should be proportionate to the seats of each constituent," Kushwaha said, indicating that the BJP has give-up more seats than the smaller partners. With this tough message, Kushwaha urged the BJP to decide fast as "time was running out".
"The RJD-JDU combine poses a tough challenge. The NDA should get its act together at the earliest without wasting any time. The BJP should take all NDA partners on board and decide," Kushwaha said.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad was quick to react over the rumblings in the NDA. "What's wrong if he (Kushwaha) becomes the chief minister? He is a talented chap and has got all the quality to become the chief minister. Everyone wishes to become something, so I do not find anything wrong in Kushwaha's claim," said Lalu at the party office after concluding the Darbhanga divisional meeting.
About supporting Kushwaha if he comes to his side, Lalu said: "Let him first leave the NDA, then only we will think on this issue, I must also say that he will not stay in NDA for long time. Earlier, he was with us only."
On the other hand, the LJP, however, is sounding more cooperative and the party maintained that it stood with whatever decision would be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi "I have already said I am not in race of the chief minister and we are always with the decision taken by Narendra Modi ji. We do not have any confusion in our party on this issue," said Paswan.
The RLSP's decision has come a day after another ally, LJP, publicly took a hard line stand to oppose five present and former MLAs associated with Manjhi's party if they were to be fielded as the NDA candidates in the Assembly polls due later this year.
The LJP state president, Pashupati Kumar Paras, had yesterday described the five HAMS leaders - Ajay Pratap (Jamui) and Sumit Kumar Singh (Chakai), disqualified JDU MLAs Raju Singh (Sahebganj) and Ajit Kumar (Kanti), besides JDU MLA Anil Kumar (Tekari) - as "traitors" and charged them with backstabbing their party earlier. Paras had said his party would put up candidates against these five HAMS leaders if they were to be given tickets to contest the upcoming polls.
He added that he had already apprised about its stand against these five HAMS leaders and ticket aspirants to senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi. Echoing his brother's view, Paswan said among the five HAMS leaders, Assembly constituencies of two of them - Ajay Pratap and Sumit Singh - fall under Jamui Lok Sabha seat being represented by LJP's parliamentary board chairman Chirag Paswan and as such he must have a say in candidates on Assembly segments falling under his parliamentary segment.
