Amit Shah meets Bihar party MPs to chalk out strategy for 2019 Lok Sabha polls
Days after sealing the seat-sharing formula with its alliance partners in Bihar, BJP national president Amit Shah met party MPs from the state in New Delhi on Thursday evening to take a feedback of party’s prospects in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
The meeting holds significance as it was held in the backdrop of the party’s decision to forego five of its sitting seats in favour of its alliance partner, the JD (U). The BJP won 22 seats in 2014, would now contest 17 seats. It means five of the party MPs is unlikely to get tickets again.
Barring Shatrughan Sinha and Kirti Jha Azad, all the party MPS from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and some senior party leaders attended the meeting held at union minister Radha Mohan Singh’s residence.
Party leaders who attended the meeting said that in addition to giving the ‘mantra’ for success, Shah asked the party MPs on the people’s feedback about the present Lok Sabha, the response of the party and government policies and schemes among the people as well as their own (MPs) feedback.
Shah also took a view of party leaders on the seats to be contested by the party.
“It was routine meeting. Several issues including general preparedness, how to take party forward and win the battle ahead came for discussion,” said a Rajya Sabha MP. Another Rajya Sabha MP of the party said that though no concrete talks were done on seats, the party high command will definitely adjust the leaders who will be forfeiting their seats to alliance partners.
Party leaders said that Patna Sahib MP Shatrughan Sinha has been attacking BJP and the government on various issues while Darbhanga MP Kirti Azad already suspended from the party are unlikely to get tickets.
Besides these two seats, the party will have to look for new faces in Begusarai and Madhubani. Bhola Singh, the BJP MP from Begusarai passed away while Madhubani’s Hukumdev Narayan Yadav has already announced that he will not contest the elections in 2019. Chanches are that these two seats may be given to alliance partners.
