PATNA: Amid reports of differences between the two allies, BJP president Amit Shah will hold discussions with Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over breakfast and dinner during his visit to Patna on Thursday.
Shah’s first visit to Bihar after Kumar’s JD(U) rejoined the NDA last year comes in the backdrop of repeated assertions by spokesmen of the JD(U) that it was the “elder brother” in the coalition and should get the lion’s share of 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
According to a state BJP release, Shah will arrive in Patna at 10 am.
From the airport, he will proceed to the state guest house where he will “have breakfast with Nitish Kumar and other senior leaders”.
“After hectic day-long activities, Shah will have dinner at the Chief Minister’s Official residence,” the release said.
“Shah’s Bihar tour will be grand and historic. Under his leadership, the party has emerged as the largest political outfit in the world,” BJP state president Nityanand Rai was quoted as having said in the release.
The BJP president’s Bihar visit is considered important from point of view of finding a way out to the prickly issue of seat sharing among NDA partners for next year’s Lok Sabha election.
The NDA which had won 31 seats in Bihar is witnessing claims and counter-claims made by leaders of NDA constituents after JD(U) returned to its fold.
Old partners – BJP, LJP and RLSP – had won 22, 6 and 3 seats respectively while JD(U) which had fought separately with the Left parties had managed only two seats in the last parliamentary poll.
(With PTI inputs)
Source: Zee News