Khiru Mahto declares JD(U) to contest 11 seats in Jharkhand.
Patna October 15, 2024: Janata Dal (United) has reiterated its claim to contest 11 seats in the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections, according to Khiru Mahto, the party’s state president and Rajya Sabha MP.
“Our party is prepared for these 11 seats and we will not back down from this position,” Mahto said.
Khiru Mahto’s statement came after a high-level meeting:
His statement followed a high-level meeting at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence in Patna, which included key JD(U) leaders such as Ashok Choudhary, the in-charge JD(U) Jharkhand unit, party’s national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha and ministers like Vijay Kumar Chaudhary.
JD(U), a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at both the national and Bihar levels, is currently engaged in negotiations with the BJP over seat-sharing in Jharkhand.
Khiru Mahto confirmed that while discussions with BJP leadership are ongoing, no final agreement has been reached yet.
Khiru Mahto ruled out the Assam Chief Minister’s claim:
He also responded to an earlier statement by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had suggested that BJP was willing to offer JD(U) two seats, with a potential third seat to be decided by the party’s central leadership.
“Sharma is not aware of any final numbers and that negotiations with the BJP top leadership are still in progress,” Mahto said.
Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Bihar’s Water Resource Minister, echoed Khiru Mahto’s stance, affirming that JD(U) is firm on its demand to contest 11 seats.
“Our party wants respectable representation in the upcoming Jharkhand assembly election and if Khiru Mahto has said that JD(U) is to contest on 11 seats the party is fully prepared for it,” Chaudhary said.
Meanwhile, BJP reportedly aims to contest between 68 to 70 seats, with the AJSU claiming 10 to 11 seats and BJP is also considering giving one seat to Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas (LJPRV). Jharkhand’s legislative assembly consists of a total of 81 seats.
Also Read: Prashant Kishor claimed JD(U) would struggle to win 20 seats in the next assembly poll.
EOM.