BJP-JDU alliance intact, will win all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, says Amit Shah

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah at a breakfast-meeting at the state guest house, in Patna. (PTI Photo)

PATNA: BJP president Amt Shah on Thursday heaped praises on Narendra Modi for his current four-year tenure as Prime Minister while reiterating that the saffron party will come back to power with another thumping victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. "First, it was only a Modi wave, then it turned into a storm and now it has become a Tsunami. In the last four years, the country has witnessed major changes when it comes to development. Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwal Yojana, we distributed gas cylinders and stoves to 4 crore poor mothers and for 7.5 crores mothers and sisters, we built toilets," he said. Hitting out at the previous UPA government, Shah said: "What was the condition of the country in 2013? Inflation and corruption were at their peak, borders were not secure and India suffered from policy paralysis." He said during the UPA regime, every individual looked at himself as prime minister while the prime minister was not even considered a minister. Shah was addressing a gathering in Patna. On reports of a rift between Nitish Kumar's JDU and the BJP, Shah said: "Rival parties are hoping that there will emerge fissures among us but in contrary to this our alliance would win all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar." Earlier in the day, Shah met JDU president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar amid reports of a rift between the two parties over the seat-sharing agreement for next year's general elections. At the first meet, which happened over breakfast, Deputy chief minister Sushil Modi was also present. Though Nitish did not give any comment, he left the venue with a smiling face. The two leaders will again meet at the chief minister's official residence on dinner late Thursday evening. The BJP chief's visit to Bihar and his interactions with Kumar is expected to bring about a broad understanding between the saffron party and the JDU over the issue of seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls. Media reports have indicated that a crisis-like situation has emerged between the BJP and the JDU over the seat-sharing plan for upcoming general elections with Nitish's party demanding "senior partner" status in the state. Some JDU leaders had also announced that their party would contest on at least 25 seats while remaining will be left for the BJP. In 2004, the JDU and the BJP contested Lok Sabha elections sharing 26-14 seats. In 2009, the JDU fought on 25 and the BJP on 15. However, in 2014, Nitish Kumar broke ties with the NDA over Narendra Modi’s candidature as Prime Minister and both parties contested separately. The BJP then won 22 seats while its allies the LJP and the RLSP won six and three seats respectively. Nitish Kumar wants the issue of seat-sharing should get settled as soon as possible because he knows it won't be easy for him to deal with the BJP at the last moment, while the BJP wants to keep it for negotiations for later.