Bihar polls: Kushwaha meets Amit Shah, resolves RLM’s seat-sharing issues

RLM leader Upendra Kushwaha said the NDA government will definitely be formed in Bihar and that all its constituents are prepared in every way

RLM leader Upendra Kushwaha (right) with Union home minister Amit Shah (left).

Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha, who was upset over the seat allocation in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the Bihar assembly election, on Wednesday, said the matter was resolved and “everything is fine” after meeting senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

Before meeting Shah, Kushwaha, who was upset over the Mahua assembly seat being awarded to the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), had said “nothing is well in the NDA”, but after the 45-minute meeting, he declared, “Everything is fine. Our alliance will win the Bihar elections.”

“I mentioned this morning that there were some issues regarding the alliance that needed to be discussed. Nityanand Rai and I met with the home minister to discuss this. This matter has been discussed, and we now hope there will be no further difficulties,” he said.

“The NDA government will definitely be formed in Bihar. All NDA constituents are prepared in every way,” he added.

Asked about the Mahua seat, Kushwaha said that an official announcement would be made in a separate press conference.

People familiar with the matter said that Kushwaha had asked for a Rajya Sabha seat and one MLC seat in the meeting. His Rajya Sabha term ends in April 2026.

The people also said that the Mahua assembly seat has been secured by Chirag Pawan-led LJP (RV).

NDA announced seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming Bihar elections on Sunday, with the BJP and JDU getting 101 seats each, the LJP (Ram Vilas) 29 seats, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha six seats, and the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) six seats.

The alliance leaders on Tuesday claimed that seat allocation among alliance partners had been settled amicably and that discussions were in the final stages. However, discontent among smaller allies surfaced soon after.

NDA in Bihar includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United) (JDU), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.