INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
BJP chief Amit Shah visited Patna in July to discuss seat sharing with Nitish Kumar
the BJP has come up with a first draft of the plan, giving itself a lion's share of the state's 40 seats
But a deal appears a long way off, with Nitish Kumar's leaders hinting that the BJP needs to get back to the drawing board.Sources in the
BJP said that 20 seats would go to the party, which, along with allies, holds 31 seats; 12 will go to Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United,
six will go to Ram Vilas Paswan and two to Upendra Kushwaha
that ideally, there should be equitable distribution between the two parties
Each should get 17 seats, and Ram Vilas Paswan, the leader said, should get the remaining six.Upendra Kushwaha, he indicated, need not be
factored in, since by all indications, he is on his way out of the alliance
With his recipe of kheer -- milk from the Yadavs and rice from the agrarian Kushwahas -- the Union minister has triggered buzz that he might
change partners.Leaders of the BJP indicate the seat sharing formula is by no means final
"Nothing has been finalised, once it is, you will come to know," said senior BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav.In 2014, the BJP had won 22 seats
While Nitish Kumar went on to partner with the Congress and Lalu Yadav's party and won the state elections in 2015, he was back in the BJP
fold barely 20 months later.But sharing of the state's 40 seats has been a contentious issue and in July, BJP chief Amit Shah flew down to
Party leader KC Tyagi said given JD(U)'s resources constraints, it would need clarity on the issue to "contest wholeheartedly".
