The NDA formally unveiled its seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar this evening, solidifying the BJP’s position as the dominant force with 17 contested seats. Previously holding the top spot in the alliance, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United will now vie for 16 seats. Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party secured five seats, while Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM each received one seat.
Notably, the NDA does not include the LJP faction led by Chirag Paswan’s uncle Pashupati Paras, who split from the party three years ago. This decision was made due to Chirag Paswan’s unit’s strong control over the Paswan vote, which constitutes 6% of the voting population.
The BJP has claimed Nawada, a traditional stronghold of the LJP, and in exchange, has assigned Sheohar to Mr. Kumar’s JD(U), replacing Gaya and Karakat. Additionally, the JD(U) has regained Kishanganj, previously lost to the Congress.
Sources reveal that Nitish Kumar actively lobbied for the Sheohar seat, likely to field Lovely Anand, who joined the party earlier today. She is the spouse of former MP Anand Mohan and mother of Chetan Anand, a former RJD MLA who openly supported Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) during a crucial vote of confidence.
Mr Kumar’s JD(U), which broke the Grand Alliance a second time and joined hands with the BJP early this year, appeared nonchalant about the shift in its status. “We are confident that the NDA will win all 40 seats,” Sanjay Jha of the Janata Dal-United said today.
Even in 2019, following a subdued yet tense standoff, the two parties settled on a 50:50 arrangement, competing for an equal number of seats.
The allocation comprised 17 seats each for the BJP and Mr. Kumar’s Janata Dal United, with six for the Lok Janshakti Party, then under the leadership of Chirag Paswan’s father, Ram Vilas Paswan.
Mr Kumar, who changed camp after being upset over multiple issues in the INDIA bloc, has said he would now stay with the NDA “forever”.
