‘Talks on which parties will contest which seats in Bihar in final stages’

Patna: Leaders of the ruling NDA in Bihar on Tuesday affirmed that seat allocation within the coalition has been settled amicably, and discussions on which party will contest specific seats are now in the final stages.

The statements came amid speculation that a rift had developed within the coalition over the seat-sharing arrangement, which was announced on Sunday. As per the arrangement, the BJP and JD(U) will contest on 101 seats each, LJP(RV) on 29 seats, and HAM and RLM on six seats each.

“The issue of seat allocation among NDA parties has been resolved through amicable discussions. The discussions on which parties will contest from which seats are also headed towards a positive end. Under the leadership of Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, all the parties within the NDA stand united and ready to contest elections,” said Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, a BJP leader, in a post on X.

Union minister Chirag Paswan of the LJP(RV) and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha of the RLM also echoed similar views in their social media posts.

However, Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who heads the HAM, expressed dissatisfaction over being allocated a smaller number of seats, but stated that he was with the NDA.

“It is true that we have secured fewer seats, the morale of our workers has weakened, and there is deep dissatisfaction among the workers, which I can only assure them will be compensated for in the future. But this does not mean that we should push Bihar towards lawlessness,” he said in a post on X.

“It does not mean that we should rob the people of Bihar of their peaceful nights and tranquil days. For Bihar, for the people of Bihar and for the pride and honor of Biharis... We are all ready... The NDA will win, and Bihar’s honour will be upheld,” he added.