Chirag Paswan to take final call on alliance, seat sharing: LJP

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Parliamentary Board president Raju Tiwari said that a list of 143 prospective candidates for the Bihar Assembly polls will be handed over to party president Chirag Paswan, who will take a final call on the alliance, and the number of seats the party would contest upon.

New Delhi: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Parliamentary Board president Raju Tiwari on Wednesday said that the party's national president Chirag Paswan will take a final call on the alliance and the number of seats to contest in the upcoming Bihar elections.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Tiwari said, "The party's Parliamentary Board will give a list of 143 prospective candidates. Party president Chirag Paswan will take the final call."

On senior Congress Digvijaya Singh's comment that the LJP should join hands with the grand old party, Tiwari said that like the number of seats, even the decision on alliance will be taken by the party president.

Earlier yesterday, the LJP had held a meeting of its Bihar parliamentary board at the residence of its chief Chirag Paswan. In the meeting, it was decided that a list of 143 candidates has to be sent to the parliamentary board soon.

Hours after the development, JDU leader KC Tyagi said that his party has never formed an alliance with the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in Bihar and that BJP has made it clear that the assembly polls will be fought under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Read:LJP hits back at JD(U), says differences existed over NDA policies

Reacting to Tyagi's comment, LJP spokesman Ashraf Ansari said, "It is a good thing. We welcome his (Tyagi's) statement. Since 2005, we have not agreed to all their policies. From time to time, we have even opposed them."

Ansari went on to claim that LJP president Chirag Paswan had supported Nitish Kumar as he had the "blessings" of the Prime Minister.

"In 2017, such a situation had arisen that Nitish Kumar had to take the blessings of PM Modi. Chirag Paswan had even said multiple times that we (LJP) are with the person who has the Prime Minister's blessings," Ansari said.

On being asked whether the party had made up its mind to quit the ruling Bihar NDA alliance, Ansari said that it was only the JD-U which was making such statements.

Read:Mahagathbandhan prioritising alliance with Left parties for Bihar polls