Battle before the battle: NDA, INDIA in hectic seat-sharing parleys as Bihar poll nears

With the schedule for the high-stakes Assembly polls in Bihar announced, the contesting sides have engaged in hectic parleys to settle differences over the most important part — seat-sharing — with their respective allies who are eyeing more seats.

On Wednesday (October 8), both the state’s ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) saw inter-allies discussions to chalk out the final lists of seats shared among them.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) election committee meeting to discuss seat-sharing arrangements among the NDA constituents was held in Patna, the Congress brass met in Delhi to discuss party candidates and is learnt to have finalised 25 of its candidates.

Jitam Ram Manjhi makes 'request'

Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, whose party Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) or HAM(S) is a constituent of the NDA, made it clear that he is “requesting and not making a claim” that his party be given a respectable number of seats in the upcoming elections.

Also read: Jitan Ram Manjhi threatens to withdraw from Bihar polls

“It will be a humiliation for me and my party if we are not given at least 15 seats in the assembly polls. If we get 15 seats, we can easily win at least 8-9 seats, and we will become a recognised party. I consider it a blot (kalank) that even after 10 years of establishment, HAM remains an unrecognised party. So, I am requesting the NDA leaders (anurodh kar rahe hain) and not making a claim,” Manjhi told reporters in Patna.

The former chief minister of Bihar indicated he would have liked his four-MLA-strong party to contest “half” of Bihar's 243 assembly constituencies, but was willing to “settle for 15” to avoid fighting against NDA partners.

Manjhi also came out with a post on X, which seemed inspired by a famous passage in Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's war poem “Rashmirathi”, wherein Lord Krishna had tried to broker peace with Duryodhana, whose obstinacy led to the epic battle of the Mahabharata.

He also asserted that “My party would prefer not to contest polls, if we don't get a respectable number of seats. But, I must make it clear that even if we don't contest polls, our party will keep working for the NDA partners”.

BJP leaders meet in Patna, to brief top brass

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, besides Vinod Tawde, met senior party leaders in Patna to discuss the seat-sharing arrangements and will submit a detailed report to the party's top leadership in Delhi. The final decision will be taken by the party’s central leadership in Delhi, sources said.

Also read: Video | Who will win Bihar 2025: NDA or INDIA?

According to sources in NDA, the bigger allies Janata Dal (United) or JD-U and BJP are likely to contest 102 and 101 seats, respectively.

Eyes on Chirag Paswan

Union minister Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) or LJP(RV), which had earlier settled for around 20-22 seats, is now asking for 25 more.

Senior leaders of the party believe it should get at least 45 seats, said an official on condition of anonymity.

Interacting with journalists in Patna, Chirag said every worker of the party will step into the electoral battle with the vision of putting “Bihar and Biharis first”.

Also read: From Champaran to SIR to 'vote chori', Bihar’s electoral soul at stake

In the 2020 Assembly elections, Paswan walked out of NDA and contested separately, winning just one seat but damaging the JD(U) in dozens of constituencies, resulting in its lowest tally in two decades — 43.

Demand for seats peaks in Grand Alliance

In the Grand Alliance, sources said, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is likely to contest 135-140 seats. The party has offered the Congress 50-52 seats, lower than the party's demand of 70 seats.

In the 2020 polls, the Congress had fought for 70 seats but won only 19 seats. The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation or CPI-MLL, another big constituent of the INDIA bloc, also appeared unhappy with the 20-25 seats offered to it. Five years ago, the CPI-MLL won 12 of the 19 seats it contested, and is reportedly demanding 40 seats this time.

Also read: Battle lines drawn in Bihar as dates announced; Oppn continues to slam EC

The VIP (Vikassheel Insaan Party), another constituent of the INDIA bloc, is adamant on contesting in at least 40 seats.

Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed confidence that the party will resolve the seat-sharing issues with its allies ahead of the polls, which are scheduled for November 6 and 11. “We are solving it....,” he told reporters in Bengaluru.

Giriraj Singh downplays NDA differences

Ruling out any differences among the NDA partners over the seats, senior BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh, who is from Bihar, told reporters in Patna that “Nitish Kumar is NDA’s face for the chief ministerial post. Everything is fine within the NDA… seat-sharing arrangements are underway and the final formula will be finalised soon”.

Also read: Bihar election 2025: SWOT analysis of INDIA bloc

He, however, took a dig at the INDIA bloc and claimed that the Mahagathbandhan is a “divided” house.

“The Congress has already made it clear that Tejashwi Yadav will be the chief ministerial face of RJD, not of the Mahagathbandhan. Now, RJD supremo Lalu Yadav is worried and frightened after the statement of the Congress leadership … The leadership of Mahagathbandhan has not yet been decided. I must say that NDA's policy, leadership, and intent are all set, and there is no resentment at all," he said.

Meanwhile, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav told reporters, “People are fed up with the NDA government in the state. The Mahagathbandhan will form the government with a comfortable margin in the state.”

The results of the Bihar election will be announced on November 14.

(With Agency inputs)