Nitish Kumar likely to meet top BJP leaders in Delhi, discuss seat-sharing for 2019 Lok Sabha elections

Patna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was likely to meet top leaders of the BJP during his ongoing visit of New Delhi and thrash out the issue of seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls, his close aide said here on Tuesday. “When our leader is in New Delhi, he would naturally meet leaders of our alliance partner. Moreover, I have said earlier that talks on seat-sharing are in final stages”, JD(U) national general secretary RCP Singh told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_4692281” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. News18[/caption] He was replying to a query as to whether Kumar, who is also the JD(U) national president, was likely to meet BJP top brass and finalise sharing of seats during his tour of the national capital for a medical check-up. The chief minister, who had made a dash to New Delhi on Monday, was on Tuesday admitted to AIIMS this morning with complaints of fever and problems in eyes and knees. Singh, who is also the JD(U)’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, took a swipe at the opposition “Mahagathbandhan” with the sarcastic remark " our full sympathy is with Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi who has sought to contest 20 out of 40 seats in the state. After all, he is a former chief minister". Manjhi had made a statement to the effect on Sunday. However, his party on Monday had clarified that he was only expressing that the HAM was “ready” to contest 20 seats and there was no demand for a specific number of seats. To a query about RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s repeated barbs that Bihar government levied an “RCP tax” - an allusion to corruption - the JD(U) leader shot back “I was an Indian Revenue Service officer when he was not even born”. About the Congress’ appointment of Madan Mohan Jha, an upper caste leader, as its state unit chief, Singh said “I do not wish to comment on any party’s internal matter. But if anything is done purely out of caste considerations, it is not good”. Speaking in presence of former minister and the party’s deputy leader in the state assembly Shyam Rajak, Singh announced that after having held “Ati Picchara” (extremely backward classes) conferences across the state, the JD(U) would now be organizing similar congregations of the Dalits and the Mahadalits.