Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, announced that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will contest the Bihar assembly elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, the chief of the Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)]. He clarified that the decision on who will lead the next government will be made by the elected legislators. Shah stated, "Elected MLAs of the coalition partners will first elect their respective party leaders, who will sit together and decide as to who will head the next government." This statement was met with a swift response from JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, who emphasized, "When the elections are being fought under Nitish, how can anyone else become chief minister? He is the true representative of the masses."

In a related development, the opposition's INDIA bloc is facing challenges in seat-sharing negotiations as the deadline for filing nominations for the first phase of assembly polls, covering 121 seats, ended on Friday. RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan reported that 71 candidates, including the chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, submitted their nominations. Overall, 1,698 candidates filed papers, with 25 from Congress, 14 from CPI(ML), and six from the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).

VIP's national president Santosh Sahani and vice-president Umesh Sahani were among those who filed nominations, while VIP founder Mukesh Sahani opted not to contest. He stated, "I am not fighting elections as I have to ensure the victory of INDIA bloc. If I contest, this will affect our campaign. I will continue to work vigorously to ensure INDIA bloc forms the next government."

As the seat-sharing deadlock continues, there are eight seats where allies may face off against each other if candidates do not withdraw. The last date for withdrawals is Monday. This impasse marks a significant shift for key INDIA bloc partners, including RJD, Congress, Left, and VIP, who had previously shown unity during a "Voter Adhikar Yatra" led by Rahul Gandhi in September. However, differences have since emerged, hindering their ability to reach a consensus on seat-sharing.