NDA Seat-Sharing Deal Finalised, BJP To Announce Alliance Strategy Tomorrow With Key Candidate Vetting

Bihar Election: Political activity has intensified following the announcement of the dates for the Bihar Assembly elections. The Election Commission has scheduled two phases of voting on November 6 and 11, and counting on November 14. Meanwhile, the seat-sharing dispute between the constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has reached a boiling point. A crucial NDA meeting in Patna on Saturday will determine which party will contest how many of the 243 seats. Union Minister Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has complicated the alliance's equations by demanding 40-50 seats, while the BJP has proposed 22-25 seats.  

NDA Leaders Meet In Patna

A meeting of top NDA leaders will be held in Patna on Saturday to finalize the seat-sharing formula. Prominent figures such as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi (Hindustani Awam Morcha), and Upendra Kushwaha (Rashtriya Lok Morcha) will be present. An alliance leader said, "Discussions are positive. A solution will be found keeping Chirag's demands in mind." This meeting is an attempt to strengthen the election strategy and appease smaller parties. 

Chirag Sticks To Bihar First

Recently, Chirag Paswan stated clearly that his demand is not linked to any position or personal gain, but rather is driven by the principle of "Bihar First, Bihari First." Citing his party's clean victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said that his party will contest only those seats where success is 100% guaranteed. There are also reports of some disagreements between the JDU and the BJP, but an NDA spokesperson dismissed these, saying, "The alliance is strong; an announcement will be made soon."

Candidate selection will be approved

Immediately after the seat-sharing announcement, the BJP will accelerate its internal preparations. The party's core group will meet in Delhi on Sunday to vet the names of assembly candidates. This meeting will be held at 11 a.m. at BJP National President JP Nadda's residence. The core group will include Home Minister Amit Shah, election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, state in-charge Vinod Tawde, Bihar State President Dilip Jaiswal, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Vijay Sinha, Organization Minister Bhikhu Bhai Dalsania, Regional Organization Minister Nagendra, Union Ministers Nityanand Rai and Giriraj Singh. 

NDA Faces Rising Seat Demands

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan's increased demands have posed challenges for the NDA. The BJP initially offered 20 seats, which has since been increased to 22-25, but Chirag is not willing to accept anything less than 30. Jitan Ram Manjhi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha has also demanded 15 seats. These demands have increased tensions within the alliance, but leaders believe that everything will be resolved at the last minute.