The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal-United (JDU) have reportedly arrived at a consensus over seat sharing in Bihar for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. According to sources, both the parties have agreed to contest on 17 seats each. Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has been given four seats and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) two seats to contest. Bihar sends 40 members to Lok Sabha.
During the 2014 general elections, the JDU wasn't a part of the BJP-led NDA. The BJP had won 22 seats, while the other two allies LJP and RLSP six and two seats respectively. The entry of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal-United into the NDA fold forced the BJP to work out a new arrangement.
RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha had held a meeting with LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday and both the leaders are believed to have deliberated on the seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP in Bihar for the Lok Sabha elections.
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Earlier in the day, Kushwaha met BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav and said he was ready to follow BJP president Amit Shah's call asking allies to "sacrifice" their number of Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.
His meeting with RJD's Tejashwi Yadav last week had sparked speculation over his future course of action. He said on Tuesday he wanted a "respectable" number of seats to fight in the state.
Kushwaha made it clear that a final seat-sharing deal has not been clinched yet but dropped hints to suggest he may remain part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
WATCH: BJP, JDU finalise seat sharing for Bihar in 2019 Lok Sabha elections
