Patna: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will not contest the upcoming Bihar elections in alliance with Janata Dal (United) due to ideological differences, said Abdul Khaliq, the National General Secretary of LJP.
According to a party statement, the LJP wants a BJP-led government in Bihar just like the one at the Centre. An LJP parliamentary board meeting chaired by its president Chirag Paswan instead passed a resolution in favour of an alliance with the BJP and said its MLAs would work to strengthen the hand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At the national level and in Lok Sabha elections, LJP shares a strong alliance with the BJP,” Abdul Khaliq said.
Reports had indicated that the LJP will field candidates against the JD(U), being still a part of the BJP-led NDA, the Chirag Paswan-led party would not field candidates on the BJP’s seats. The LJP may contest on 143 seats in the elections to the 243-seat state assembly.
In 2015, the LJP had contested 42 seats and won two. The JD(U) was then part of the opposition alliance which decisively defeated the NDA.