'Talk Going in Positive Manner': Chirag Paswan on Seat Sharing for Bihar Polls

New Delhi: The BJP and its allies in the NDA continue their hectic efforts to evolve an effective seat-sharing arrangement ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the first phase of which gets underway on November 6. On Friday Bharatiya Janata Dal (BJP) MP Nityanand Rai and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan engaged in extensive talks. Paswan said that the talks were moving forward in a "positive manner".

Speaking to reporters outside his residence, Chirag Paswan said, “The talks are going in a positive manner and are in their end stage now. We want to hold discussions on all minute issues, seats, candidates, and campaigning.”

Union Minister Nityanand Rai also backed Paswan's statement, “Chirag Paswan is a Union Minister, and he has minced no words in saying what he has said. ”Everything is positive," he said.

Earlier, LJP (RV) Bihar chief Raju Tiwari said that the party has entrusted full authority to its National President, Chirag Paswan, to take the final call on the seat-sharing matter.

Tiwari said, "All senior leaders of our party were present in today's meeting. We have all unanimously given the entire responsibility to our National President Chirag Paswan to take the final call, and it will be acceptable to every member of the party."

On Thursday, Paswan had called an emergency party meeting at its Patna office to discuss the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections and organisational matters. Paswan said that the meeting was called to discuss the party's election strategies, seat distribution, and candidate selection.

"A meeting has been called by the party in charge, who has also been given the responsibility of the election in charge… In the coming days, discussions will be held regarding election strategies, seats, and candidates. The party's state parliamentary board meeting had also taken place a few days ago. Its proposal has also been sent to the central parliamentary board. Very soon, a meeting of the central parliamentary board will also be held so that a final decision can be taken on all matters," Paswan said.

The NDA led by the BJP and JD(U) will be up against the INDIA bloc, led by Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, the Congress, the CPI (ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the CPI, the CPM, and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). The new entrant, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj, has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state.

The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections. The 243 Assembly seats will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on November 14. 

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