BJP demands four more seats from JD(U) in Bihar

Source : The Hindu

New Delhi (PTI): In the wake of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's suggestions that BJP should give up "not winnable" LS seats in the state for the JD(U), the saffron party has upped its demands to four more Lok Sabha seats from its available quota.

With the demand, the saffron party seeks to increase its quota of 16 seats to 20 out of the 40 available in the state.

"We feel the BJP rightly deserves four additional seats in this Lok Sabha polls. In a coalition, the thrust should be look into the winnability factor and going by it only BJP can send a MP to Lok Sabha from more than half the seats in the state," party spokesperson Rajeev Pratap Rudy said today.

"After all, ours is a longtime relation with stable alliance in the state. While JD(U) has 89 seats in the assembly, we too have 55 MLAs," he told reporters here.

As per sources, the saffron party has drawn a list of four more seats including Siwaan, Vaishali, Aurangabad and Aara (all lost by JD-U in the last Lok Sabha polls) to be demanded from its ally this time.

Party leaders also cited the 'high' rate of BJP's win in the last general election to demand more seats from the JD(U).

BJP won five out of the 16 seats it contested while JD(U) bagged only six out of the 24 seats.

In a move which could further embarrass JD(U) leadership, the saffron party would also quote the loss of JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the last Lok Sabha polls from Madhepura and Barh constituency and may demand handing over of the two seats to BJP, sources said.

Kumar had earlier this week suggested that BJP should leave its claim on "Muslim-dominated" seats as it was "not winnable for the saffron party".