"Our priority is for NDA to perform best": LJP(RV) MP Shambhavi Chaudhary on Bihar polls

Patna (Bihar) [India], October 13 (ANI): LJP(Ram Vilas) MP Shambhavi Chaudhary on Monday said her party kept the National Democratic Alliance's interest above the party's interest during the seat-sharing talks for the upcoming Bihar Assembly election.
The NDA on Sunday officially announced its seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
Under the arrangement, the BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each, while the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest 29 seats. The Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) will contest six seats each.
"When we contest elections in alliance, compromise and coordination become crucial... Our priority is for the alliance to perform the best... In LJP, party workers had different desires, but we're doing something else in the alliance's best interests. When we work in the alliance's interest, some win fewer seats, while others gain more," Shambhavi Chaudhary told ANI.
"We are not trying to reduce anyone's seats. If the Lok Janshakti Party is contesting for the first time, it will take seats from someone, but this shouldn't be seen otherwise. The Lok Janshakti Party will work in the interests of the alliance and for the benefit of the other constituent parties.
"Whenever a dish is prepared, the sub-ingredients aren't used in the same quantities. Some are less, some are more, and as our national president says, the Lok Janshakti Party acts as the salt in the alliance. So, the flavour will come from the Lok Janshakti Party," she added.
Asked when her party will release the candidate list, she said, "This may be done by today or tomorrow."
Emphasising the importance of winning the support of women voters, she said the NDA government has done a lot to empower women.
"We have always considered women voters very important in Bihar... We are moving from women's development to women's leadership... NDA government has always worked for women, not just during elections," she said.
Chaudhary said that her party's priority is quality over quantity.
"In the Lok Sabha elections, we won with a 100% strike rate to become a party with 5 MPs. The party's priority is to maintain the same in the Vidhan Sabha elections too... Chirag Paswan was authorised to finalise the seat sharing... LJP has received a considerable no. of seats. Our target is to maintain our performance on these 29 seats. Before the Lok Sabha elections, whatever the party's position was, today we are in a better position than that... We have to bring this position down to the ground in the assembly and work on it," she said.
She also said that as the seat-sharing agreement was finalised, there is no room for speculation.
"Many things were being discussed, and many rumours were circulating... Once the seat-sharing has been done, we don't think there's any speculation left that anyone has any grudges anywhere... When the seats of the constituent parties are finally decided, it is done with everyone's consent... We fought the Lok Sabha elections very strongly and the results were very good... Our alliance understands everyone's views well, coordinates and takes them forward... We feel that everything will be fine in time," she said.
The 243 Assembly seats will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with counting of votes to be held on November 14.
This upcoming electoral contest will be between the NDA, led by the BJP, and Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), and the INDIA bloc, led by Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). (ANI)