Bihar Legislative Council Polls: BJP to contest 13 seats, JD(U) 11

Patna: After days of hectic negotiations, the BJP and JD(U) on Saturday sealed their seat-sharing agreement to contest 24 vacant seats in Bihar Legislative Council, polls to which are likely to be held in March-April.

Addressing a joint press conference, Union minister and BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav said that the saffron party will contest 13 seats, and Nitish Kumar's party 11.

Out of the 13 seats allocated to it, the BJP will give one seat to its ally Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party headed by Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras.

Bihar Education Minister and senior JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who was present at the press conference, expressed hope that the ruling alliance will bag all 24 seats.

When asked about other NDA constituents, both Yadav and Choudhary said that they would be taken into confidence.

Besides BJP and JD(U), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) led by former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) of Mukesh Sahani are the two other NDA constituents in Bihar.

Choudhary said that BJP will contest Rohtas, Aurangabad, Saran, Siwan, Darbhanga, Kishanganj, Katihar, Saharsa, Gopalganj, Begusarai, East Champaran and Samastipur seats while RLJP will contest Vaishali.

JD(U) will field its candidates from Patna, Bhojpur, Gaya, Nalanda, Muzaffarpur, West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Bhagalpur, Munger, Nawada and Madhubani, he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad, BJP state president and MP Sanjay Jaiswal and JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha were also present at the press conference.

Earlier, Yadav met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and discussed the seat-sharing deal with him