JD(U) leader Kishor says seat-sharing in Bihar should be on 2015 winning ratio – assembly elections

Janata Dal (United) national vice president Prashant Kishor on Sunday opened a new front by claiming that the party should get larger share of seats in the 2020 assembly polls. A miffed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said decision on seat sharing was a prerogative of the NDA’s top leadership.

Kishore told a TV channel that seat-sharing talks could be held on the basis of “1:1.4 ratio” as per the old formula followed in 2009 when the BJP and JD(U) fought the elections in alliance. He added that the ratio of seats won by the two parties in 2015 elections was also close to the 1:1.4 ratio.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar comprises of BJP, JD (U) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) . The JD (U) and the BJP had contested on 17 seats each during the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, leaving six for the LJP. While BJP and the LJP won all seats, the JD (U) won on 16. Ever since the formula of 50: 50 worked in Lok Sabha polls, it was widely believed that the NDA partners would follow the same formula in the state.

Kishor’s claim on larger seat share stems after the recent rebellion of Shiv Sena against the BJP in Maharashtra after assembly polls in November.

“This, coupled with BJP’s poor performance in Jharkhand polls, is going to prompt the JD (U) to stake for larger share,” said DM Diwakar, political analyst at AN Sinha Institute for Social Studies.

“NDA has come a long way since 2005 to take Bihar on path of development. The NDA government is comfortably placed in Bihar till 2025. NDA is sure to sweep 2020 Bihar polls defeating Grand Alliance…All the decisions related to election 2020 is a matter of discussion between our top leadership,” said BJP’s Bihar spokesperson Nikhil Anand.