LJP leader Chirag Paswan addresses a press conference in New Delhi yesterday.

IANS/New Delhi

The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) yesterday denied reports of a rift in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance ahead of crucial assembly elections in Bihar.
LJP leader Chirag Paswan denied his party was upset over the role assigned to another alliance partner, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).
Paswan said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) remained united.
“Our cadres expressed surprise that we were not given (seats) that had been promised,” he said.
Paswan reiterated that the NDA “remains united.”
There were reports that the LJP of Ram Vilas Psawan was upset that it was promised 41-42 seats but was given only 40.
BJP president Amit Shah announced on Monday that BJP would contest 160 seats, LJP 40, Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) 23 and HAM another 20 seats.
HAM nominees would contest a few seats allotted to the BJP as well.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday attended the BJP Central Election Committee meeting held to decide the party candidates for the assembly elections.
The meeting was also attended by the party chief, ministers Rajnath Singh, Ananth Kumar, J P Nadda and Dharamendra Pradhan, party’s state affairs in charge Bhupendra Yadav, former minister Shahnawaz Hussain and former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
Meanwhile, the alliance of the Janata Dal (United), the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress is finding it difficult to sort out differences over three dozen of the 243 assembly seats, but leaders said they were hopeful the issue will be resolved in the next two days.
JD-U state president Vashsisht Narain Singh said talks among the leaders of the grand alliance were in the final stages.
“Everything will be sorted out by tomorrow or Thursday,” he said.
According to JD-U leaders, the main issue was that the RJD and the Congress were seeking a share of the seats the ruling party had won in the last assembly polls in 2010.
JD-U leaders said if the party accepts the RJD and the Congress’ demand, some sitting JD-U legislators will be denied tickets and that may foment trouble within the party.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav yesterday was authorised by the party to take the final decision.
RJD state president Ram Chandra Purve said it was decided in the party parliamentary board meeting to authorise Yadav to finalise the names of the candidates.
“A meeting of the party parliamentary board will be held on Thursday and Lalu Prasad will likely announce the list of candidates,” he said.
The alliance has already decided that the RJD and the JD-U will contest 100 seats each, while the Congress will contest 40 seats.