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Bihar Polls: JDU eyes 115 seats, wants BJP to accommodate LJP

The Bihar Assembly Elections are set to take place next month in October. The Janata Dal (United) – JD(U) is planning to go for 115 seats in the election polls, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will have 128 seats. As per the sources, it will house the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) from its quota.

The BJP and JD(U) have been working together prudently to keep their seat-sharing partnership while dealing with combative strikes from the LJP at the same time.

In the 2010 assembly elections, the JD(U) had secured 141 seats while BJP was able to contest for 102 seats. At present, there are 53 legislators in the BJP and 71 MLAs in the JD(U)
As per a JD(U) source, “In 2010, there was just JD(U) and BJP, hence we did not have many issues over seat-sharing. We were part of the Grand Alliance in 2015 Assembly polls and contested 101 seats. Now that we are again part of the NDA and the senior partner, we are pressing for 115 seats. Let the BJP accommodate LJP and we will take care of Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) from our share.”

According to a statement made by a BJP leader, both the parties are looking forward to a fair-game of seat-sharing. The statement said – “Seat-sharing talks have been going in Delhi between top leaders of BJP and JD(U). It is difficult to say anything now about the numbers of seats. By conventional logic, we should contest as equal partners as we did in the last Lok Sabha polls. Our party had shown a large heart during the Lok Sabha polls by denying tickets to five sitting MPs and giving JD(U) equal seats (17 each) to contest. It is now the JD(U)’s turn to return the favor.”

He also added “We want some of their sitting seats and JD(U) wants some of ours. A lot also depends on the number of seats RJD will contest. The seat-sharing could be announced sometime in October.” – in response to the issues over several seats between both the parties.

As per his statement, the central leadership of BJP is in touch with the LJP and they are both working on resolving this issue.

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PIL in Jharkhand high court seeks to move Lalu Prasad back to jail

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, convicted in the fodder scam case, is in the Kelly Bungalows of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS). But a Kelly bungalow has become an important center of Bihar politics.

Even though the assembly elections are held in Bihar, this bungalow has become the main center of Ranchi and the leaders and workers of Bihar are constantly turning to this bungalow. But due to this, Lalu’s difficulty may increase, because the public interest petition has been filed in the Jharkhand High Court by petitioner Manish Kumar, alleging violation of the jail manual.

The petition said that Lalu Prasad Yadav is continuously violating the jail manual and defying the order of the court by meeting hundreds of people daily. On the matter, the petitioner’s advocate Manoj Tandon said that the Central Home Secretary, including the Home Secretary of CBI, Jharkhand, has been made the defendant.

Significantly, even before Lalu Prasad Yadav was staying in the BMP Guest House even after going into judicial custody in the fodder scam, the Supreme Court immediately passed a judicial order by SLP CRL 2296/1998 Order dated 27.11.1998 Under Lalu, Beur was taken to jail. This order has also been mentioned in the PIL.

Actually, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav is convicted in various cases of fodder scam. But due to his unwell health, he is undergoing treatment at RIMS. He was in the paying ward of RIMS, but looking at Covid-19 (COVID-19), he has been shifted to the RIMS director’s bungalow ie Kelly Bungalow.