With the nomination process for the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections beginning on October 10, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is expected to finalize its seat-sharing arrangement within the next few days. Senior BJP leaders, including Bihar election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan and national general secretary Vinod Tawde, met Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union minister Chirag Paswan in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss his party’s seat demands.
Sources from LJP (Ram Vilas) told news agency that the party is aiming to contest between 45 and 54 constituencies, while the BJP is reportedly inclined to allocate 20–25. Chirag Paswan is said to have insisted that his party be given at least two Assembly seats in each of the five Lok Sabha constituencies it currently represents.
BJP leaders assured Paswan that his request would be reviewed within the party and conveyed soon. Another round of deliberations between Chirag Paswan and senior BJP leaders is likely in the coming days to reach a final understanding on seat-sharing. The discussions also covered the political environment and campaign strategy for the upcoming Bihar elections.
A BJP functionary mentioned that Chirag will attend a ceremony in Khagaria on Wednesday to mark the death anniversary of his father, former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, making a seat-sharing announcement before Thursday unlikely. The NDA is expected to make the final declaration in Patna.
Within the negotiations, Chirag Paswan has reportedly sought the Brahmapur and Govindganj constituencies for close aides Hulas Pandey and Raju Tiwari, respectively. In 2020, Brahmapur was contested by the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) under the NDA, while Pandey, contesting independently from LJP, emerged second. Tiwari, who contested from Govindganj in 2020, finished third behind the winning RJD candidate.
Manjhi’s Claim for 15 Seats
Meanwhile, Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) leader and Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has demanded at least 15 seats for his party, citing its growing regional presence. However, sources indicated that the BJP has offered HAM-S only 10 constituencies, identifying seven of them so far.
The NDA’s seat-sharing formula is expected to be revealed in the next two to three days once all alliance partners reach a consensus.
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