Daijiworld Media Network - Patna

Patna, Oct 12: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Sunday sealed its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, with the Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party set to contest 101 seats each. The agreement, finalised after several rounds of discussions in Delhi and Patna, was announced jointly by senior NDA leaders including BJP’s Bihar election in-charge Vinod Tawde, JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, and Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal via coordinated social media posts.

Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas emerged as the biggest gainer among the junior allies, securing 29 seats after a successful bargaining effort, buoyed by its clean sweep in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha were allotted six seats each. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan confirmed the final numbers, stating that the NDA partners had reached the decision in a “cordial atmosphere,” emphasizing the alliance's unity and readiness for the polls.

Leaders of all alliance partners expressed satisfaction with the final formula. Manjhi, reflecting on his party’s increased share, noted that he was content with the allocation. Chirag Paswan called the NDA “intact and united,” reiterating that all allies would campaign with full strength to secure a renewed mandate. The finalisation of seats has set the stage for an intense electoral contest in Bihar, with the NDA gearing up to defend its government under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.