Jiten Manjhi (File photo)
NEW DELHI: Expected entry of former Prime Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi into the National Democratic Alliance ahead of the Bihar assembly elections has added to unease within another NDA constituent Lok Janshakti Party, which has called a meeting of its state parliamentary board next week.
In an indication of the LJP’s worsening relations with Janata Dal (United) headed by Prime Minister Nitish Kumar, party sources said the main item on the agenda when its board members meet on September 7 is whether to pit your candidates against the JD (U).
The Chirag Paswan-led party has so far refrained from targeting the BJP and has even praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership while holding on. Nitish kumar in your sights.
“We are definitely considering placing our candidates in the seats where the JD (U) will compete,” said one LJP leader.
Paswan declined to comment on the matter, but added that his party will make its decisions at the appropriate time.
“I am focused on preparing my party for the polls. Decisions that are made in the interest of my party will be made at the appropriate time,” he said.
Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) led by Manjhi will join the NDA, a party spokesman said on Wednesday. Manjhi has met with Nitish Kumar, who has taken the initiative to incorporate his former rival into the ruling alliance.
The BJP, another main component of the NDA, has already announced that Nitish Kumar will be the main ministerial candidate for the alliance.
While the relationship between the LJP, whose founder Ram Vilas Paswan is a minister in the Modi government, and the JD (U) has been far from smooth, Manjhi’s entry into the NDA has added to his resentment against the JD. (OR).
Manjhi, who hails from programmed castes like Paswan, has a history of attacking the LJP leadership as they attempt to project themselves as the leader of the Dalits in the state.
However, his electoral performance has been poor, as his party was only able to win one seat in the 2015 assembly elections as an ally of the BJP and was left blank in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an ally of the RJD-Congress. .
The LJP believes that Nitish Kumar has brought Manjhi into the NDA to corner him, as he has been the main party identified with the Dalits in the alliance.
So far, the BJP has refused to take sides in the dispute between the two parties and has downplayed their differences, insisting that the NDA is intact and they will fight together against the assembly elections, which are expected in October-November.
There is likely to be a lot of acidity in the alliance during seat-sharing talks among its partners for the 243-seat assembly elections.
The JD (U), who is upset with the LJP for Chirag PaswanFrequent attacks on the Kumar-led government have claimed that its alliance has traditionally been with the BJP and that it will not engage directly with the LJP in the distribution of seats.
BJP sources have played down the growing aggression shown by the LJP, insisting that a fair distribution of seats among all allies will end differences.
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