The NDA has a deadlock over seat sharing for Bihar elections 2025. There is a tussle over a big stake between BJP and JDU. The NDA has strategically deferred the declaration of the Code of Conduct.
Patna: Bihar assembly elections are 2025 close, but the seat sharing within NDA is still unsolved. Several rounds of talks have been held between BJP and JDU, the meeting of Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also became a center of discussion on the subject, but no concrete conclusions came out. Sources say that NDA has deferred the announcement of strategic seat sharing until the code of conduct comes into force.
Code of Conduct will become ‘Turning Point’
The Election Commission has planned to complete the final publication of the voter list by 30 September. After this, the code of conduct can be implemented anytime by 5 October. That is, the election bugle will be formally played from the first week of October. Sources in the Commission say that polling is likely to be held in two phases and the entire process will have to be completed before 22 November.
The NDA strategists want the seat sharing and the names of the candidates be announced after the code of conduct is imposed, so that the opposition does not get time for preparation. This is the reason why this case remains like ‘suspense’ so far.
2020 formula or new equation?
In the last assembly election 2020, NDA held seats in the ratio of 122-121. JDU got 122 seats and BJP got 121 seats. JDU had given 7 of these seats to Hum (Hindustani Awam Morcha), while BJP gave 11 seats to VIPs from its quota.
This time the situation is a bit complicated. Two new allies have joined the NDA – Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) and Upendra Kushwaha’s National Lok Morcha. In such a situation, the BJP may have to give about 20 seats to LJP (Ram Vilas) with its quota. At the same time, JDU will have to keep pace between us and Ralomo. Sources reveal that we can get 8-10 seats and Ralomo can get 6-8 seats.
BJP-JDU’s internal tussle
Both BJP and JDU parties want them to get the status of ‘big party’. JDU seats were reduced in 2020 and the BJP emerged as the largest party in the assembly. This time JDU wants to repeat the share of 122 seats, but the BJP is not in the mood to accept less than 130 seats. According to sources, the issue was the hottest in the meeting of Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar, but the two leaders decided to postpone the issue after the code of conduct instead of reaching a conclusion.
NDA’s ‘political blast’ after the code of conduct
Suspense has created a thrill in politics over seat sharing in NDA. As soon as the code of conduct is imposed, the NDA will first announce the seat share and then the list of candidates will be released. The final picture will be clear only after the coordination between the BJP-LJP (R), JDU-Ham-Rralomo and possibly VIP.
Political experts believe that this strategy of NDA is to shocking the opposition and prove the ‘game-changer’. But it is also true that maintaining suspense for a long time can also increase confusion and resentment among the workers.