Key Points

Speaking to reporters in Patna, Jaiswal said senior leaders had held a detailed meeting at the party's state headquarters to finalise candidates.

"We discussed the names of candidates for both the sitting BJP seats and the ones we lost in the last election. The names have been finalised, and the final list will be released by the party's parliamentary committee soon. We have completed all the groundwork," he said.

On the ongoing seat-sharing discussions among NDA allies, Jaiswal said the talks were progressing smoothly.

"The seat-sharing talks are going in the right direction. We have five constituent partners like the five Pandavas, and we are united. Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Upendra Kushwaha are with us and are very happy. The formula will be announced at the appropriate time," he said.

His statement came a day after Jitan Ram Manjhi, chief of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), publicly demanded 15 seats for his party in the upcoming elections.

Taking a dig at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav over his promise of providing a government job to one member of every family, Jaiswal said the claim was unrealistic.

"Tejashwi Yadav made that statement out of disappointment. He doesn't understand that there are criteria and limited posts in government service. Such promises are childish and impractical," the BJP leader remarked.

Asserting that development remains the hallmark of the NDA, Jaiswal said the people of Bihar trust the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

"The development means Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. The way they have transformed Bihar's road infrastructure shows their commitment. People have faith in the guarantee of PM Modi and the double-engine government," he added.

- IANS