When asked if his differences with Mr Paswan are over, Mr Manjhi said, "He told me that he has nothing against me and explained to me everything during a journey on a flight.BJP to contest on 160, Paswan 40, Manjhi gets 20 seatsAfter hectic deliberations over the seat-sharing formula with one of its allies, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), the BJP-led NDA on Monday finally announced its seat-sharing deal for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.With the allies by his side, Mr Shah attacked opponents, saying Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is promising a crime-free rule in alliance with the RJD’s Lalu Prasad, whose tenure in the 1990s was dubbed by Mr Kumar himself as "jungle raj". Mr Shah sounded confident that the BJP-led alliance will win two-thirds majority. The matter ends there."On who is the bigger leader between him and Mr Paswan, the HAM leader said, "It is for the people to decide. As per the seat-sharing formula, the BJP will contest on 160, LJP on 40, Union minister Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP on 23 and the HAM will contest on 20 Assembly constituencies.When asked about reports of his being unhappy with the BJP’s earlier offer, which resulted in the delay in the final announcement on seat-sharing, Mr Manjhi claimed there was never a fight over the number of seats and his only intention was that the NDA should put up as many "winnable" candidates as possible.

To a question on the RJD chief’s assertion that the election will be for "Mandal raj-2", a reference to the 1990s when backward castes rose to dominate the state’s politics, Mr Shah said the NDA has more "Mandal-wale" (backward and weaker groups) leaders. Mr Shah said some HAM leaders will also contest on the BJP’s symbol. Announcing the seat-sharing formula, BJP president Amit Shah claimed there were no differences within the NDA over the issue and the alliance will contest the elections under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, with development as the main poll plank."When asked about the delay in the announcement of the seat-sharing formula, Mr Manjhi said it was due to his party’s core group members who were in Patna and he was satisfied with the seat pact."When asked whether he too will contest the upcoming polls, Mr Manjhi, who was expelled from the JD(U) after he refused to step down as chief minister, said, "I am considering that. Meanwhile, the BJP’s central election committee (CEC) is meeting on Tuesday and could announce some candidates’ names for the first phase of the Assembly elections on October 12."To a question as to why the NDA’s main target is Mr Lalu Prasad and not Mr Nitish Kumar, Union minister Upendra Kushwaha said that Mr Kumar is only a "face" and "mukhauta (mask)" and the person calling the shot is Mr Prasad. I will decide soon. While the BJP managed to placate the former chief minister, Mr Manjhi, who was not satisfied earlier with the number of seats offered to his party, another ally, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), was apparently miffed with the number of seats offered to HAM.Mr Shah said the NDA will spell out its agenda in detail in its manifesto to be brought out in the coming days. Attacking the Opposition grand alliance, Mr Shah said: "The grand alliance has disintegrated. It shows in which direction the election is headed.

The head of the formation is no longer with it, while we all four parties are fighting unitedly to win the polls. While responding to a query about actor-turned-BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha being upset with the party and reports that he will not be fielded as a major campaigner, Mr Shah said all BJP workers will campaign. The BJP leadership held a series of meetings with Mr Manjhi to sort out the issue. He also said that Mr Kumar Disposable Protective Clothing Manufacturers was citing developmental figures which the state achieved during the JD(U)-BJP rule. Asked about the JD(U)’s dig that it made Mr Manjhi chief minister while the BJP turned him into a "beggar" for seats, Mr Shah shot back, saying his party’s values were differ-ent and alleged that Mr Manjhi was forced out of Bihar Niwas late in the night due to Mr Kumar’s vendetta.

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