BJP wants to contest 103 seats in Bihar

The BJP will contest in the coming Bihar elections in at least 103 constituencies, which was its share in which it fought in alliance with the JD(U) in the polls of 2005.

In two seats, the two parties were in direct, "friendly" contest. The BJP won one and lost the other. Overall, it won 54.

Bihar BJP president C.P. Thakur stated this on Wednesday. The number of seats in the Bihar assembly is 243.

The party will begin formal talks with the JD (U) after the working committee meeting of the BJP here on July 18. Senior leaders such as Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar and others are expected to be in the meeting.

“We will also negotiate for two more seats, Chakai and Belaganj, where we had a friendly contest with the JD (U),” Thakur told media persons.

“We will finalise the seats on the basis of the winnabilty of the candidates,” Thakur said. "If the party is not satisfied with any member, it may deny him/her the party symbol.”

Cong forms 5 panels

The Congress on Wednesday dissolved the Bihar unit executive and team of office bearers and formed five new committees to look after the party’s preparations for the forthcoming assembly polls.

Besides Pradesh Congress Committee president Mehboob Ali Kaisar, ex-member of legislative council Ajay Kumar Singh will function as treasurer and all the other office bearers have been divested of their posts.

The new panels constituted are election committee, coordination committee, manifesto committee, media committee and the publicity committee.

Former Bihar party chief Anil Sharma will also be in the poll and coordination panels. Sadhu Yadav, brother-in-law of Lalu Prasad, and Ranjeeta Ranjan, wife of Pappu Yadav, too are in the new panels. (with inputs from HTC, Delhi)