NDA Finalises Seat-Sharing for Bihar Elections

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) (JDU) will each contest 101 seats in the 243-member Assembly. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced this decision on Sunday, stating that Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will field candidates in 29 seats. Additionally, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) will contest six seats each.

Pradhan, who oversees the Bihar elections for the BJP, expressed satisfaction with the seat allocation process, noting that discussions among NDA allies were conducted in a cordial manner. He tweeted, "The NDA allies have completed the distribution of seats in a cordial atmosphere. All workers and leaders of NDA parties warmly welcome this. Bihar is ready and a NDA government will be formed again."

This announcement resolves previous tensions regarding seat distribution, particularly concerning the HAM, led by former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, and the RLM, which had considered contesting independently. Manjhi had initially expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed seat-sharing formula, demanding a minimum of 15 seats but was offered only seven to eight. However, after negotiations with BJP leaders in Delhi, an agreement was reached, allowing HAM to contest six seats.

In the 2020 Assembly elections, the BJP contested 110 seats and won 74, while the JDU contested 115 seats and secured 43. The Lok Janshakti Party, which previously contested independently, won only one seat out of 135 in 2020. This time, Chirag Paswan's faction is part of the NDA.

Upendra Kushwaha's party, previously part of a third front in 2020, is now aligned with the NDA as the Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The NDA's former ally, the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), is now part of the Mahagathbandhan, having contested 11 seats in 2020 and winning four.

The seat-sharing agreement marks a significant step as the NDA prepares for the two-phase Bihar Assembly polls. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.