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हिन्दी 
Trouble continues to brew within the NDA camp in poll-bound Bihar as allies Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) have expressed dissatisfaction over the seat allocation and recent seat-swapping arrangements, despite the alliance finalising its seat-sharing formula with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
On Wednesday morning, RLM president and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha, along with Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai, left for New Delhi to meet Union home minister Amit Shah and sort out the discontent over seats.
The bone of contention between LJP (RV) and RLM is the Mahua seat, which Kushwaha’s party wants to contest from. Shah had asked LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan to hold the name of candidate for Mahua assembly seat; Paswan’s party had already allocated symbols for 27 seats but two seats were put on hold.
As per the seat sharing arrangement, BJP and JD(U) are contesting on 101 seats, LJP (RV on 29 and six seats each have gone to RLM and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM(S).
Talking to media persons at Patna airport, Kushwaha said that he is heading to Delhi to hold talks on recent seat-sharing decisions within the NDA.
“I am going to Delhi. Some thought needs to go into the decisions that are being made in the NDA. I am going to Delhi to hold talks on the same. I’m hopeful that everything will be fine,” Kushwaha said.
Union Minister Nityanand Rai reaffirmed that “everything would be fine soon”.
“Just like Upendra ji has said, everything is fine and everything will be fine soon,” Rai said.
Earlier this week, Kushwaha who was heading for Sasaram returned to Patna midway after he was informed about the seat allocations. What followed was a series of meetings between Kushwaha and BJP leaders. The RLM leader did not relent and ultimately Shah had to intervene.
People aware of the development said Kushwaha has eyes on the Mahua seat and probably wants to field his son from there. Soon after the NDA announced its seat-sharing arrangements, the RLM national president on Sunday said the party’s allocation of six seats in the upcoming polls may disappoint many.
This was not the only glitch in the NDA.
On Monday, chief minister Nitish Kumar had objected to some of JD(U)’s traditional seats going to LJP (RV). Among them was Sonbarsa and Rajgir constituencies. Despite Sonbarsa being marked for LJP(R) in NDA’s earlier list, JD(U) MLA and minister Ratnesh Sada was re-nominated by Nitish Kumar himself, signalling his unwillingness to cede ground.
Manjhi, upset after his demand for more seats was not met, said he too would field candidates from two seats that were not allocated to the party, expressing solidarity with JD(U). “When the seat-sharing has already been decided, why are others fielding candidates on JD(U) seats? If that’s the case, I too will field my own candidates from Bodh Gaya and Makhdumpur,” he said in a veiled statement apparently meant for Union minister Chirag Paswan.
