Bihar at takeoff stage... industrialisation next: JD(U)’s Sanjay Jha

On October 12, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) unveiled a seat-sharing formula in Bihar that placed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (United) on equal footing — 101 seats each out of the total 243 — while allotting 29 seats to Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and six apiece to others. In the 2020 Assembly election, JD(U) had contested 115 seats. Ina telephonic interview from Darbhanga, Sanjay Jha, national working president, JD(U), tells Aditi Phadnis that his party is still fighting fit and how Bihar is headed for new horizons. Edited excerpts:

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Seat allocation for the Bihar polls is over and now candidates are ready to campaign in their allotted constituencies. Do you think your party has conceded too much, given that it is running the government in Bihar? An important basis of seat allocation was the 2024 Lok Sabha polls (BJP contested 17 and JD(U) 16 of Bihar's 40 seats, with other NDA partners contesting the rest). It was a factor we could not ignore while deciding the numbers each party should get.

Every party feels that if it was given more seats, it will be able to do better. But once the matter is settled, we have to put everything we have into winning.

You don't feel that the disgruntlement in your party over the seats given to Paswan's LJP (RV) could sabotage the coalition?

There will be no effect on the ground. We sat together and discussed seat allocation.It is not the result of some fiat from somewhere.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Paswan contested as an alliance partner. In the 2020 Assembly election, he was not part of the NDA. Now he is. So, the alliance, as a whole, will work to achieve victory.

Isn't it true that in the last Assembly polls Paswan played a negative role, damaging JD(U) the most? And now you have been forced to yield space to his party?