‘Ideological differences’: LJP decides not to contest Bihar Assembly Election with Nitish Kumar's JD(U)
The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Sunday afternoon announced that it will not contest the upcoming Assembly Election in Bihar with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) due to "ideological differences". The announcement was made LJP National General Secretary Abdul Khaliq who said that the decision was taken at the Parliamentary Board meeting of the party on Sunday. Khaliq further said that the Chirag Paswan party "shares a strong alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the the national level and in Lok Sabha elections".
LJP's chief Chirag Paswan shows victory sign after the party's Central Parliamentary Board meeting
"There can be difference of ideologies on many seats with the JDU... voters should be able to decide who they want as their candidate. The LJP wants to implement the Bihar vision document and the two parties have not been able to reach a consensus on it," the LJP said in an official statement.
"After the elections in Bihar, all LJP MLAs will join the BJP to form the government. There is no bitterness between the BJP and LJP, but ideological differences with JD(U)," said a party release.
It added in many seats there could be an ideological fight with the JD(U). "We have decided to break away so that the public can decide which candidate is better in the interest of Bihar."
Every LJP MLA will work to make Bihar a first under the leadership of the BJP," he said.
At present, JD(U) has 71 MLAs and BJP has 53 legislators. In the 2010 Assembly elections, the JD(U) and BJP had contested on 141 and 102 seats, respectively.
The Bihar assembly elections would be held in three phases on October 28, November 3, and November 7, with the counting day on November 10.
Earlier, the Election Commission has appointed two former Indian Revenue Service officers as special expenditure observers for the Bihar Assembly polls to oversee efforts by the enforcement machinery to check attempts to induce voters with cash, liquor and freebies.
