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NDA seals Bihar deal; 101 seats each for BJP, JD(U)
“Leaders and workers of NDA are resolved and united to make Nitish Kumar the chief minister again with a massive majority. Bihar is ready, NDA government again,” JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha posted on X
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Sunday finalised its seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Bihar elections, announcing that the two main coalition partners -- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) or JD (U)-- will each contest 101 of the state’s 243 assembly seats.
In a set of simultaneous and near-identical posts on X, senior leaders of the alliance announced the deal, which was brokered after hectic negotiations in Delhi and Patna. Apart from the BJP and JD(U), the arrangement allocates 29 seats to Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), or LJP (RV), and six each to both the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), or HAM (S).
“The NDA allies have completed the distribution of seats in a cordial atmosphere. All workers and leaders of NDA parties warmly welcome this,” Union minister and Bihar BJP in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan posted on X.
This will be the first election since 2005—when the JD(U) joined the NDA—that the party, traditionally the dominant partner in Bihar, will not contest more seats than the BJP. To be sure, it contested the 2015 elections as part of an alliance with the RJD and Congress.
“Leaders and workers of NDA are resolved and united to make Nitish Kumar the chief minister again with a massive majority. Bihar is ready, NDA government again,” JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha posted on X.
In the 2020 elections, the JD(U) contested 115 seats, followed by the BJP with 110. While the BJP won 74 seats, the JD(U) secured only 43. HAM(S) fielded candidates on seven seats and won four five years ago.
The NDA’s seat-sharing talks were reportedly stalled over HAM(S) leader and Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s demand for at least 15 seats, according to people aware of the matter. Speaking to reporters after the final agreement, Manjhi said that while he accepted the leadership’s decision, he felt undervalued.
“What the high command decided, we accept, but by giving six seats, they have undervalued us, it may have repercussions in the NDA,” Manjhi said. Earlier in the day, he posted on X that he will stand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi “till his last breath”.
Union minister Chirag Paswan, who headed the undivided Lok Janshakti Party in 2020, had contested separately on 135 seats, winning just one but significantly damaging the JD(U)’s prospects.
“Bihar is ready —Once again an NDA government, This time with full strength alongside Bihar First, Bihari First,” Paswan posted on X.
RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, who led the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party in the 2020 polls, had contested on 99 seats but failed to win any.
“Workers and leaders of all NDA parties joyfully welcome this unanimous decision,” he posted on X.
Roughly 74.3 million people across the state will vote in two phases on November 6 and 11, marking the beginning of an electoral contest that will have strong ramifications on national politics. The votes will be counted on November 14. The last date of filing nominations for the first phase of polls is October 17.
In the 2020 assembly elections, the NDA secured 125 seats while the Opposition’s Grand Alliance got 110. But the vote share difference between the two coalitions was just 0.03% even as the BJP emerged as the bigger partner than the JD(U), which was damaged by Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party. The NDA fared much better in the general elections last year, winning 30 of the 40 seats on offer.
Political observers noted the timing of the NDA’s announcement, emphasising its impact on voter confidence and cadre’s morale. “It’s good that the NDA has finally finalised its seat-sharing formula. With a few days left to file nominations for the first phase, the delay was sending a wrong message to voters and creating doubts among the NDA’s own workers,” Gyananedra Yadav, a professor at Patna’s College of Commerce said. Leaders of the Opposition bloc, which was yet to finalise it’s seat-share deal, remained unfazed. “The NDA has already accepted defeat even before the elections. Our alliance has finalised all arrangements... Everything should become clear by tomorrow evening,” RJD MP Sudhakar Singh said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the BJP’s Central Election Committee to finalise candidates for the upcoming Bihar assembly election. The meeting, held at the party headquarters in Delhi, was attended by BJP president JP Nadda, Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, national general secretary and Bihar in-charge Vinod Tawde, as well as Union ministers Pradhan and CR Paatil, who are overseeing the party’s campaign in the state.
