Lalu likely to concede to Paswan's demand for more seats

NEW DELHI: Even as RJD supremo Lalu Prasad was keeping his cards close to his chest over the number of Lok Sabha seats he was prepared to share with his UPA allies in Bihar, sources said he might concede 12 of the 40 seats to Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). Paswan had earlier demanded 16 seats, failing which he had threatened to go it alone on all seats.
When Lalu was asked for his party's decision on Monday, he merely said, "No decision has been taken yet." Sources, however, confirmed that he was fearing division of votes this time and did not want to take any chances as the NDA combine lead by Nitish Kumar was perceived as posing a formidable threat.Lalu has been insisting more than other allies that UPA should go to polls together.
The desire to walk the extra yard to accommodate the demands of Paswan, who won only four seats the last time and finished third in the assembly polls later, can be seen as confirming his new-found vulnerability on his home turf. Faced with a resurgent NDA led by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Lalu, in sharp contrast to the customary swagger, has worked hard to mollify the UPA partners who always resented his strong-arm methods but had to put up with it because of his strength.
The strongman's enfeeblement has given them the opportunity to try to revise the terms of trade, with Congress not just supporting Paswan's demands but upping its own ante as well. The party, which accepted RJD's offer of four seats without much of a quibble, now wants to contest more seats.
The muscle-flexing must be annoying to Lalu, but he has decided not to display his feelings. Asked if he was looking forward to prospects of the Third Front following divorce between BJP and Biju Janata Dal in Orissa, where most of his erstwhile Left friends may go, Lalu asserted, "No no... We will go with the Congress."
It was obvious that Lalu was trying out the patience of his UPA allies like LJP and Congress over seat-sharing in his home state. The 12 seats which are most likely to be conceded to LJP are Supaul, Araria, Purnea, Katihar, Begusarai, Nawada, Hajipur, Samastipur, Bettiah, Nalanda, Ara and Muzaffarpur. The remaining seats demanded by LJP ��� Sheohar, Gaya and Jahanabad ��� are not likely to be conceded by the RJD, sources said.
However, a politically shrewd Lalu has refused to make any statement. When asked why he was not saying anything when other parties were sounding their demands on seats loud and clear, he said, "I am doing the right thing. I will be attacked from all quarters if I break my silence."
Meanwhile, LJP announced that it would contest six seats in Jharkhand. The constituencies LJP is eyeing are Palamu, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Kodarma and Jamshedpur. RJD is yet to announce the seats it will contest in the state.