October 20, 2020 5:24:29 am
Long before the RJD-led Grand Alliance announced its seat split, BJP and CM Senior Leader Sushil Kumar Modi had said: “The more seats in RJD contests, the more the fight lives on.”
The BJP’s wish seems to have been granted, in more ways than one. The RJD, which contested 101 seats in the Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan in the 2015 Assembly elections and won 80, is fighting in 144 constituencies in the upcoming elections. Not only that, the RJD, the strongest of the Grand Alliance parties, is fighting in most of its seats against the JD (U).
In 77 of their seats, the RJD candidates face the Nitish-led JD (U), who had bargained hard to ensure they got more constituencies (115) than the BJP (110) in the NDA to share seats. In other words, in almost 30% of their seats (38 total), the JD (U) can look forward to an easier fight.
In contrast, the RJD candidates face the BJP in 51 of their 110 seats, leaving the latter with prospects of an easier victory over the remaining 59. Five RJD nominees face former Prime Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular). , and on the 11th he will face the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).
The RJD says that social realities on the ground dictated its seat choices, and that it is a mere coincidence that the BJP may end up being the winner, both in its attempt to emerge as the dominant party in the NDA, and even as the only one. -post-polls of the largest party.
An RJD leader says: “Tejashwi Yadav is the Grand Alliance CM candidate and has assumed the acting CM. Also, each seat has its social arithmetic. This time there will be enthusiastic competition, with margins of victory of 2,000 to 5,000 in various seats. “
With LJP Chairman Chirag Paswan openly supporting BJP candidates and taking on Nitish, it could further affect JD (U) ‘s prospects. Nitish has expressed his displeasure at several BJP leaders who were denied seats to contest LJP tickets. One of them, Rajendra Singh, who is competing from Dinara, enjoys the backing of the BJP cadre. “They may be doing it on their own. I haven’t attracted anyone, ”says Singh.
The BJP has been trying to appease Nitish, ensuring that he will remain CM regardless of how many seats the parties win. He has also been criticizing Paswan for clinging to him, accusing him of trying to create confusion.
JD (U) national spokesperson KC Tyagi says they are not concerned about RJD’s game plan. “The fact that he is treating us as his main opponent shows that we are also moving towards a presidential form of government in the state. People have to decide whether they want Nitish Kumar or not. The rest is irrelevant. “
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