BJP to contest Assembly by-poll with NDA partners

The BJP today said it would contest the by-elections to 10 Assembly seats in Bihar next month with NDA partners - LJP of Ram Vilas Paswan and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) of Upendra Kushwaha.
"The Assembly by-elections are our top-priority and we have decided to contest it along with our NDA partners. Our first goal is to win these seats. The next aim will be to get more than 175 seats in the Bihar Assembly elections due next year," BJP state president Mangal Pandey said.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the two-day state executive meeting that ended today, Pandey, however, refused to disclose the number of seats BJP would contest in the by-polls.

The seat sharing formula with alliance partners would be decided by the top party leadership in Delhi, he said.
"One thing is for sure, we NDA partners will contest the by-polls together and help each other in all the constituencies," he added.
By-poll in Narkatiaganj, Rajnagar (SC), Jale, Chapra, Hajipur, Mohiuddinagar, Parbatta, Bhagalpur, Banka and Mohania will be held on August 21. The poll results will affect the balance of power in the Lower House.

Six of these seats were held by the BJP, while the RJD and JD(U) had three and one seats respectively.
The BJP state president said the party would send a four-member delegation tomorrow to probe yesterday's police firing at Aurangabad in which a woman and a child were killed, while five others were injured.

"The Bihar Police became irresponsible and anarchist. It straightaway starts killing people instead of using water cannon, rubber bullets, firing in the air or on the legs of the people. We are going to raise this issue in the Assembly and Council tomorrow," he said.
Pandey also said the party would hit the streets demanding a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and a job to the kin of the two deceased.