Lok Sabha elections 2019: BJP to contest 20 out of 40 seats in Bihar

'BJP would contest 20 seats, JD-U 12, LJP five, RLSP two and a splinter group of RLSP one seat', an official said

Seat-sharing formula for the 2019 general elections has been finalised by the NDA constituents in Bihar, with the BJP getting the lion's share of 20 out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats and the rest going to its allies including the JD-U, LJP and the RLSP, party leaders said on Thursday.

Although a formal announcement in this regard is yet to be made, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said: "BJP would contest 20 seats, JD-U 12, LJP five, RLSP two and a splinter group of RLSP one seat."

In view of its better-than-expected performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, the BJP was keen to contest from larger number of seats than its allies this time round.

In the last Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had contested from 30 seats in Bihar and won 22, while its allies Lok Janshakti party (LJP) won six seats and the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) bagged three.

In 2014, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) had contested on its own but performed poorly. It had won only two seats.

The seat-sharing was finalised following pressure from the BJP allies, who had been demanding a clear picture about which party will contest how many seats in the 2019 general elections.