"Alliance With People": Prashant Kishor Rules Out Tie-Up With Chirag Paswan

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has ruled out any alliance between his Jan Suraaj Party and the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) for the upcoming Bihar election. Amid the buzz that the two parties may join hands for the two-phase state polls, Kishor said Jan Suraaj will contest alone and that its alliance is "with the people".

"There is a fight going on to loot Bihar. This is not a fight for seats… Every party wants to get more seats so that they can loot Bihar more in the future. We do not have any alliance. Our alliance is with the people," he said, addressing rumours of a tie-up.

Speculation about a possible alliance between Jan Suraaj and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) played out against the backdrop of hard bargaining by Paswan as NDA allies discuss seat-sharing.

The young leader, who is Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, reportedly wants 40 out of 243 Assembly seats in Bihar after his party won 5/5 in the Lok Sabha election last year. The BJP, however, is willing to offer only 25 -- a figure unacceptable to Paswan.

He has also given a veiled warning. "I am like salt on vegetables... I can affect 20,000 to 25,000 votes in every constituency," he told NDTV, adding, "I always have the option of walking out."

BJP, however, has downplayed the threat, and party sources say he remains a loyal supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the posturing is aimed at pacifying a section of hardliners in his party.