Bihar Election: BJP CEC to meet on Oct 4 to decide candidates; LJP may settle for 30 seats

Filing of mination papers for Bihar Assembly elections commenced on Thursday when tification was issued for first of three-phase poll. To decide its candidates for upcoming polls, Central Election Committee (CEC) of BJP will meet on October 4. last date of mination process is October 8.

PM Modi to take part in meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party leaders JP Nadda, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Thawarchand Gehlot, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Shahnawaz Hussain, Vijaya Rahatakar besides Bihar BJP in-charge Bhupendra Yadav, election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis, state president Sanjay Jaiswal and Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi are likely to attend meeting concerning party candidates in Bihar. Nadda had anunced his new team recently but CEC has t been reconstituted. According to ANI sources, as per protocol, whenever PM Modi takes part in any meeting, COVID-19 RT-PCR test is done for participants. y said leaders have also been asked to minimise interaction with ors after giving samples for tests. first list of candidates will be anunced after meeting of CEC.

LJP to settle for 30 seats?

Earlier, top BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, held a meeting with Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan on Thursday. purpose of meeting was to thrash out a seat-sharing arrangement with allies for Bihar assembly polls. Sources have informed LJP may settle for 30 seats in National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

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According to source, "LJP has become dim and will have to accept all conditions of Nitish Kumar as cleared by top authorities of NDA." BJP has put some conditions for alliance including projection of Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister face of NDA. LJP was earlier demanding that Chirag Paswan should be Chief Ministerial candidate and should fight on 143 seats.

In 2015, it contested 42 seats and won two. JD(U) was n part of opposition alliance which decisively defeated NDA. strained relations between JD(U), headed by Kumar, and LJP have put alliance under pressure as BJP attempts to play a balancing role. Polling for state's 243 seats will be held on October 28, vember 3 and 7. Votes will be counted on vember 10.

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(With ncy inputs)