**Patna:** The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Sunday announced its seat-sharing deal for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Under the agreement, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] will contest 101 seats each in the 243-member assembly. Union Minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) [LJP (RV)] will contest 29 seats.
Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal (RLM) will contest six seats each. The NDA allies prioritized not only the number of seats but also the quality of seats, focusing on winnability in their seat-sharing formula.
The deal follows extensive deliberations held in Delhi and Patna with senior NDA leaders, including BJP election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, Vinod Tawde, and Nityanand Rai, alongside consultations with LJP, RLM, and HAM leadership.
LJP chief Chirag Paswan initially demanded 40 seats but agreed to a reduced share of 29. This election marks the first time since 2005 that BJP and JD(U) will contest an equal number of seats. To provide a historical perspective:
– In the October-November 2005 Bihar assembly polls, JD(U) contested 139 seats, and BJP contested 102 seats.
– In the 2010 elections, JD(U) contested 141 seats while BJP contested 102.
– In 2015, JD(U) contested alongside Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and its allies.
– In the 2020 assembly polls, JD(U) contested 115 seats, and BJP contested 110.
By agreeing to an equal contest of 101 seats each, both parties aim to send a clear message to the electorate that there is no dispute over alliance leadership in Bihar.
Chirag Paswan emerged as a “big gainer” in the deal, securing 29 seats even though the BJP initially offered 26. To accommodate his demands, BJP reportedly conceded some of its sitting seats to LJP (RV). The LJP’s strike rate was notably impressive in the last Lok Sabha election, winning all five seats it contested.
In contrast, Manjhi’s HAM, which contested seven seats in the previous assembly election, will contest six this time, despite having demanded 15 seats. Manjhi expressed no objections, stating, “In Parliament, we were given only one seat; were we upset? Similarly, if we got only six seats, it is the decision of the high command. We accept it… We are content with what we have been given. I have no complaints.”
JD(U) National Working President Sanjay Jha remarked, “We NDA colleagues have completed the distribution of seats in a cordial atmosphere. JD(U) – 101, BJP – 101, LJP(R) – 29, RLM – 06, HAM – 06. Leaders and worker comrades of all NDA parties welcome this with joy and are resolved and united to make Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ji CM again with a massive majority. Bihar is ready for the NDA government again.”
BJP leaders Dharmendra Pradhan, Vinod Tawde, LJP (RV) leader Chirag Paswan, and RLM leader Upendra Kushwaha also announced the seat-sharing deal on social media, emphasizing that the agreement was reached amicably.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/nda-finalizes-bihar-seat-sharing-bjp-jdu-to-contest-101-seats-each-ljp-gets-29
