The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar on Sunday finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming elections to the 243-member assembly. Both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest 101 seats each, while the remaining 41 seats have been distributed among smaller allies.
Under this new allocation, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Union Minister Chirag Paswan, has secured 29 constituencies. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), represented by Jitan Ram Manjhi, will contest six seats, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, under Upendra Kushwaha, is set to fight in six seats as well.
This is the first instance since 2005 — when Nitish Kumar first led the NDA to power — that the JD(U) will not contest more seats than the BJP. This shift underscores the BJP’s growing influence in Bihar and the JD(U)’s declining prominence in state politics.
BJP’s Bihar poll in-charge, Dharmendra Pradhan, confirmed that all partners reached the decision “in a cordial manner,” adding, “Bihar is ready for another NDA government.” Similarly, leaders Paswan, Kushwaha, and JD(U) spokesperson Sanjay Kumar Jha shared positive sentiments regarding the negotiations, describing them as “amicable and unanimous.”
Despite previous reports indicating possible discontent among smaller factions, Jitan Ram Manjhi expressed his approval of the allocation by stating, “We are satisfied with what we have received… I will stay with Prime Minister Narendra Modi till my last breath.”
During the last assembly elections in 2020, the JD(U) contested 115 seats compared to BJP’s 110 seats, with HAM taking seven seats. Although JD(U) secured only 43 seats, the BJP enjoyed a far stronger performance, winning 74 seats. This discrepancy strained the alliance and briefly prompted Nitish Kumar’s exit from the NDA.
The upcoming Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled to occur in two phases, on November 6 and 11, with counting set for November 14. The confirmed seat-sharing deal may significantly impact voting patterns and coalition dynamics in one of India’s key political battlegrounds.
