BJP leaves 2 Delhi seats for Bihar allies, no luck for Shinde Sena

Even as the Opposition INDIA bloc stands divided ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, the BJP has finalised a deal with its NDA allies from Bihar, JD(U) and LJP (Ram Vilas). The BJP on Thursday released its fourth list of nine candidates for the February 5 polls, thus declaring 68 of the 70 names — leaving two seats for the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and the Chirag Paswan-led LJP (RV).

Later in the evening, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said in an official statement that the party was leaving two seats for its allies. “As a part of the seat-sharing agreement, the JD(U) will contest the Burari seat while the LJP(RV) will contest Deoli,” the statement read.

While the JD(U) has announced Shailendra Kumar as its candidate from Burari, the LJP (RV) is likely to field a candidate from Deoli. “Principally, we all agreed to defeat the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) together. Now that the seat-sharing deal has been reached, we are hitting the ground with full strength,” JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said.

Sources within the NDA confirmed that the JD(U) and LJP (RV) will contest the polls on their respective symbols of “arrow” and “helicopter”. Sources said that another NDA ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, also wanted a seat and was in discussions, but could not make the cut while another NDA constituent from Maharashtra, the NCP led by Ajit Pawar, has fielded 11 candidates.