Patna (Bihar) [India], October 9 : Amid speculation over the seat-sharing formula among parties in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti said that the party's poll strategy will be decided upon in a meeting in Patna on Thursday.
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Arun Bharti emphasised the significance of the meeting ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.
He said, "Regarding the election, what our party's policies will be, what strategies will be adopted, the party has called an important meeting on this... You will be informed about whatever decision is taken... Tomorrow's meeting is crucial for us."
LJP (RV) has convened an emergency party meeting at its Patna office on Thursday to discuss the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections and organisational matters.
Speaking to reporters after arriving in Patna on Wednesday evening, party chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan said that discussions in the meeting would focus on election strategies, seat distribution, and candidate selection.
"A meeting has been called by the party's in-charge, who has also been given the responsibility of the election in-charge... In the coming days, discussions will be held regarding election strategies, seats, and candidates. The party's state parliamentary board meeting had also taken place a few days ago. Its proposal has also been sent to the central parliamentary board. Very soon, a meeting of the central parliamentary board will also be held, so that a final decision can be taken on all matters," Paswan said.
On the issue of seat-sharing, Paswan said that talks were progressing smoothly, and details would be shared once discussions were finalised. He added that his only demand is to prioritise the interests of Bihar and its people.
"I want to clearly state one thing that the discussions are going well and I believe that the right decision will be taken at the right time... As soon as the discussion is completed, it will be shared with you... Chirag Paswan demands only one thing: to make Bihar and Biharis a priority. Chirag's demand is neither regarding any post, nor regarding any anger towards anyone, nor regarding anyone's seats," he asserted.
The NDA led by the BJP and JD(U) will be up against the INDIA bloc, led by Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, the Congress, the CPI (ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the CPI, the CPM, and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). The new entrant, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj, has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state.
The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections. The 243 Assembly seats will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on November 14.