Hints Of Tension In JD (U)-BJP Alliance

The tension between alliance partners in Bihar, Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and BJP continued to simmer, reflecting challenging times in the days leading to the assembly elections later this year. Nitish Kumar has asserted that all is well with the alliance, implying that he would sail with the BJP. However, the spat between Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi of the BJP and poll strategist Prashant Kishor of the JD-U, suggests otherwise.

It all began with Prashant Kishor's statement that the BJP cannot expect to have the same 50-50 seat-sharing formula with the JDU as it did in the Lok Sabha elections. He further said that Nitish Kumar's party deserved a bigger piece of the pie in Bihar. Kishor observed that it could be in the ratio of 1:1.4 or 1:1.3 this time.

The BJP did not seem to take kindly to Prashant Kishor's demand on revisiting the seat-sharing formula between the two alliance partners. On its part, the JDU leadership observed that only authorised spokespersons would speak on the issue.

Bihar as Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi waded into the controversy criticising Prashant Kishor in a tweet. He described him as the owner of a slogan-minting and poll data gathering company, who strayed into politics thus. He added that Prashant Kishor did not subscribe to any ideology. taking a jibe at the poll strategist, the Bihar Deputy chief minister further said that this "profitable businessman [read Prashant Kishor] first prepares the market for his business and thinks of national interest later."

Prashant Kishor did not take the swipe lying down and retorted by tweeting that it was a pleasant experience to hear see Sushil Kumar Modi speak of ideology. To rub it in he added that Modi became the deputy chief minister of Bihar even after the loss of 2015. Seat-sharing negotiations between the two partners may prove to be challenging in the run-up to polls.