03-08-2009, 03:18 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>In Bihar, 16:24 formula works</b>
pioneer.com PNS | New Delhi
An alliance between the BJP and the Janta Dal (United) for Bihar is in sight with both parties reaching "closer" to finalising the agreement. The verbal dual between the State leadership of both the parties notwithstanding, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley held closed-door meetings here on Saturday to hammer out the âminor differences.â
<b>There are indications that the BJP and JD(U) will divide the 40 Lok Sabha seats among themselves in the ratio of 16: 24. The same formula was applied in 2004. But, sources said an exchange of a few seats between the two parties was not ruled out</b>. An announcement on this issue is expected after Holi and another round of talks between Nitish and Jaitley soon.
"We will make the announcement in the next two or three days. We do not discuss seat-sharing with our allies through the media," Jaitley said after meeting Kumar in the national capital.
...
Former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaj Hussain unsuccessfully contested from Kisanganj while BJP's Hukumdeo Narayn Yadav lost to Dr Shakeel Ahmed of the Congress in Madhubani. The BJP had taken a strong exception to the announcement even when the seat-sharing talks were in process. More so, it had asked the JD(U) to leave two seats â Siwan and Muzaffarpur â it contested last time.
The BJP is hopeful of an electoral victory in Siwan given that Shahabuddin would not be in the fray this time. The controversial RJD MP has been sentenced to life in a murder case and a Supreme Court verdict bars him from contesting elections.
Likewise, former Defence Minister <b>George Fernandes </b>is willing to shift from Muzaffarpur to <b>Nalanda</b>, his home constituency that he vacated for Nitish Kumar in 2004. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
pioneer.com PNS | New Delhi
An alliance between the BJP and the Janta Dal (United) for Bihar is in sight with both parties reaching "closer" to finalising the agreement. The verbal dual between the State leadership of both the parties notwithstanding, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley held closed-door meetings here on Saturday to hammer out the âminor differences.â
<b>There are indications that the BJP and JD(U) will divide the 40 Lok Sabha seats among themselves in the ratio of 16: 24. The same formula was applied in 2004. But, sources said an exchange of a few seats between the two parties was not ruled out</b>. An announcement on this issue is expected after Holi and another round of talks between Nitish and Jaitley soon.
"We will make the announcement in the next two or three days. We do not discuss seat-sharing with our allies through the media," Jaitley said after meeting Kumar in the national capital.
...
Former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaj Hussain unsuccessfully contested from Kisanganj while BJP's Hukumdeo Narayn Yadav lost to Dr Shakeel Ahmed of the Congress in Madhubani. The BJP had taken a strong exception to the announcement even when the seat-sharing talks were in process. More so, it had asked the JD(U) to leave two seats â Siwan and Muzaffarpur â it contested last time.
The BJP is hopeful of an electoral victory in Siwan given that Shahabuddin would not be in the fray this time. The controversial RJD MP has been sentenced to life in a murder case and a Supreme Court verdict bars him from contesting elections.
Likewise, former Defence Minister <b>George Fernandes </b>is willing to shift from Muzaffarpur to <b>Nalanda</b>, his home constituency that he vacated for Nitish Kumar in 2004. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->