After Kushwaha's exit, BJP holds meeting to convince 'disgruntled' Paswan

Hours after the RLSP, an NDA constituent, defected to the Congress-led UPA, the BJP held a meeting with the LJP leadership which issued an ultimatum to the saffron party over the seat-sharing formula in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan. (PTI/File Photo)

NEW DELHI: Hours after the RLSP, an NDA constituent, defected to the Congress-led UPA, the BJP held a meeting with the LJP leadership which issued an ultimatum to the saffron party over the seat-sharing formula in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The meeting was convened at BJP president Amit Shah's residence in which LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, his son Chirag Paswan and other leaders including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley were also present. This was seen as a possible attempt to convince a disgruntled Paswan to stay with the NDA. The development comes a day after the LJP pressed for finalisation of the coalition's seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar by month-end while making it clear it will not agree for anything less than six Lok Sabha seats and one in Rajya Sabha. Party's parliamentary board chairman Chirag Paswan had also expressed dissatisfaction over no headway being made on the seat-sharing issue despite several meetings with the BJP leaders. LJP's state president Pashupati Kumar Paras, younger brother of Ram Vilas Paswan, had said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has "undoubtedly" weakened in Bihar with exit of partners like Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha. Paras had said Kushwaha parted ways after he ran out of patience, as BJP chief Amit Shah and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar made an announcement that their parties would contest an equal number of seats without taking into account that there were other constituents. There has been speculation that the LJP chief and union minister Ram Vilas Paswan may not fight the Lok Sabha polls next year owing to bad health and leave his Hajipur (reserved) constituency for some family member and himself opt for the Upper House. In a series of tweets, Chirag Paswan had on Tuesday cautioned the BJP against damage to the NDA in the event of the BJP's failure to arrive at a seat-sharing formula that was respectable for other allies. His tweets have triggered speculations that the party, which was part of the Congress-led UPA for a decade before switching over to the BJP-led coalition during the 2014 polls, was bracing for changing sides yet again.