The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar has on Sunday finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, where both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest 101 seats each. The arrangement distributes the remaining 41 seats among smaller allies.
As part of this new distribution, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Union Minister Chirag Paswan, will contest 29 constituencies. Additionally, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) under Jitan Ram Manjhi will fight for six seats, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha of Upendra Kushwaha will also contest in six seats.
This marks a significant shift in Bihar’s political landscape. For the first time since 2005, when Nitish Kumar first led the NDA to power, the JD(U) will not contest more seats than the BJP. This change indicates the BJP’s growing influence and reflects the JD(U)’s diminishing standing in state politics.
BJP’s Bihar poll in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan commented that all coalition partners reached the decision “in a cordial manner”. He expressed confidence, claiming, “Bihar is ready for another NDA government.” This optimistic outlook was echoed by leaders from other coalition parties, including Paswan, Kushwaha, and JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha, who labelled the discussions as “amicable and unanimous.”
Despite initial concerns regarding seat allocations, Jitan Ram Manjhi stated his satisfaction with their designated share. He conveyed his unwavering loyalty, saying, “I will stay with Prime Minister Narendra Modi till my last breath.”
The 2020 assembly elections saw the JD(U) contest 115 seats, and the BJP 110 seats, while HAM focused on seven seats. In that election cycle, JD(U) won only 43 seats, whereas the BJP secured 74 seats. This outcome briefly strained the alliance and resulted in Nitish Kumar’s exit from the NDA.
The Bihar Assembly elections are set to take place in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14. As political alliances solidify, this election is poised to reshape Bihar’s political future.
