LJP sets deadline for BJP to decide on seat sharing, says 'time is running out now'

Pic Courtesy: Twitter/irvpaswan

A day after Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan suggested differences within the NDA over seat sharing for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party on Wednesday reiterated that it is asking for what is “rightfully ours”.

Speaking to medispersons, LJP leader Pashupati Kumar Paras said that apart from Bihar, the party wants seats in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh as well, claiming that it has vote banks in both the states.

The LJP also set a deadline of December 31 for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah to decide on the issue, urging the biggest partner of the NDA alliance to “maintain the sanctity of the coalition”.

“We definitely want seats from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh as well, as our vote bank exists in these states. Time is running out now. We want Amit Shah to finalise this by December 31. We want them (BJP) to maintain the sanctity of the coalition,” said Pashupati Kumar Paras.

Asserting that the LJP is an “honest partner of the NDA”, Paras said that the party was asking for same number of seats in Bihar as it fought from in 2014.

“We are asking for what is rightfully ours. We are an honest partner of the NDA. We are asking for the same number of seats that we fought from in 2014,” the LJP leader said.

On Tuesday, Chirag Paswan had said that the NDA is at a critical juncture after the exit of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP). He had tweeted, “After the exit of TDP and RLSP, the NDA is at a critical juncture. The BJP should act on the issues of other allies and resolve them in a respectful manner before it’s too late.”

“There have been meetings with BJP leaders over seat sharing within the alliance but no concrete solution could be reached till now. If no consensus is built on the issue at the earliest, it might result in loss,” the LJP leader further tweeted.