With the assembly elections in Bihar due in November, the deliberations on the seat sharing has started in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) camp.
The opposition Mahagathbandhanhas also amped up their campaign, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav launching their ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in the poll-bound state.
The seat-sharing talks in the NDA are in the final stages, with the two bigger parties- BJP and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United or JD(U)- likely to contest on 100-105 seats each, The Indian Express reported.
In the 2020 assembly elections, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) contested on 115 seats and won 43, while the BJP fought on 110 seats and won 74.
Chirag Paswan, whose Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) went solo in the last state election, will be part of the NDA alliance and is demanding 40 seats, the report said.
The remaining seats in the 243-member state assembly is expected to go to smaller parties, including maining seats are expected to go to Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha (Secular) and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
The report further said that the seat-sharing arrangement is expected to change if Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), currently part of the opposition alliance, switches sides.
JD(U)-LJP factor
The LJP, which is part of the NDA alliance, went solo in the last Bihar election fighting on 115 seats and ruining JD(U)’s chances in over 30 seats by banking on the NDA votes. Paswan’s party managed to win just one seat (Matihani) out of the 115 seats. The Matihani MLA later switched sides to join Nitish Kumar’s party.
Cut to 2025, with LJP now a part of the NDA seat-sharing talks and BJP’s ‘better’ strike rate than JD(U) in 2020, Nitish’s party may not be willing to contest on less than 100 seats, The Indian Express report said.
A senior NDA leader said that there is no question of the JD(U) contesting fewer seats than the BJP and attributed Nitish Kumar’s party’s poor performance to the LJP contesting on seats allotted to the JD(U).
“The JD(U)’s poor performance last time was largely due to the LJP fielding candidates against it. The party still commands around 10% of Bihar’s votes, especially among the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), and its role remains crucial. The polls are being fought under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, with the campaign centred on bringing him back as chief minister. There’s no question of the JD(U) contesting fewer seats than the BJP,” the NDA leader said. He, however, added that “minor adjustments” may have to be made to accommodate allies.
In the current Bihar assembly, the BJP has 80 MLAs, JD(U) 45, HAM(S) having 4, and the support of 2 Independent candidates.
The Opposition’s INDIA Bloc comprises 111 MLAs, with the RJD leading with 77 MLAs, followed by Congress with 19, CPI(ML) with 11, CPI(M) with 2, and CPI with 2.