After a long wait, finally, the seat sharing between the BJP and the JD(U) has been finalised and this was announced none other than Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar. On Sunday addressing the State executive meeting at his official residence, Nitish said the formal announcement could be made any day.

But he cautioned the partymen particularly all the spokesmen not to discuss this topic with media. “I am not disclosing how many and which seats JD(U) is getting because I have been advised by the BJP leadership not to reveal it before the formal announcement,” he said and added he has not informed  anybody in his party.

The caution and care showed by Nitish in disclosing the details indicated that the BJP leadership has possibly not taken into confidence is other allies LJP and RLSP about this seat sharing.

The JD(U) leaders including Nitish had been saying for over a month that all the talks on seat sharing had been made on highest level and soon it would be announced.

First it was expected by the end of August but it could not materialise due to the demise of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Then Bihar JD(U) president Bashistha Narain Singh had sated that it would be announced by September 15 and accordingly the party had scheduled its sgae executive meeting on September 16.

Sources in the NDA said that JD(U), which was not an ally of NDA in 2014 polls, would get an honourable share and possibly be given 12 seats which included a few seats which BJP or its allies had won. In 2014 JD(U) had contested all the seats and won only two.

Speculations were rife in JD(U) circles that Nitish close confident and Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan was very keen to contest from Munger, the seat currently held by LJP’s Veena Devi. She had already expressed her antipathy towards Nitish and Lalan and hinted to quit LJP and join RJD. Also, the JD(U) is likely to get Darbhanga seat which was won by Kirti Azad of BJP. But Azad is no longer in BJP and likely to join Congress and contest. JD(U) is likely to field Sanjay Jha from Darbhanga which he lost time.