After the thaw in the JD(U) and the BJP relations in Bihar, the next hurdle for the two parties is all set to be seat-sharing arrangement. Though the JD(U) has indicated that it would go by the 2005 arrangement, the party will seek “swap” of Assembly constituencies by gauging strength of the two parties in light of the delimitation exercise.
JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav on Saturday stated that the NDA dispensation is back on track in Bihar and the past was behind for the two parties. “Jo beet gayi so baat gayi (the past is behind now),” said Mr Yadav, who added that the June 12 incident (when posters of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar holding hands with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi appeared in Patna dailies leading to cancellation of dinner hosted by Mr Kumar for BJP leaders) was unfortunate.
Sources in the JD(U) said that though the seat-sharing between the two parties did not crop up during the parleys with the BJP leaders, there is a view within the party that the 2005 pact will be followed with a rider, that the impact of delimitation of constituencies would be looked into. The JD(U) had contested 138 Assembly seats while the BJP had fought in 105 constituencies, with the former winning 88 and the latter bagging 54 seats in the 2005 Bihar elections, which brought the NDA to power in the state. “The leaders of the two parties will sit together to decide on seats which can be swapped by making assessment of the strength of the respective parties. The 2005 elections was before the delimitation exercise, while the 2009 Lok Sabha polls took place post-delimitation. The demography of a large number of Assembly constituencies has since changed, which will be a factor in the seat-sharing talks between the two parties,” said a senior JD(U) leader.
Apprehending loss of base among the upper caste voters following the controversial bataidari scheme, the JD(U) is looking to swap Assembly constituencies where the Muslim voters are in a large number to cash in on the welfare schemes launched for the minority community.