Bihar Elections Countdown: Seat-Sharing Chaos in NDA and Grand Alliance

Bihar Elections Countdown: Seat-Sharing Chaos in NDA and Grand Alliance

With less than a month left for the Bihar assembly elections, political parties in the state are still grappling with a seat-sharing deadlock, delaying full-fledged campaigning for the polls scheduled on November 6 and November 11, with results on November 14.

The situation has become so chaotic that political observers are jokingly referring to it as “meeting meeting, karte rahiye meeting meeting”, echoing a viral dialogue from the popular web series Panchayat.

Grand Alliance Seat-Sharing Crisis

The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), led by the RJD and Congress, has struggled to resolve internal conflicts over seat allocations:

• The Congress initially demanded 70 seats, the same it contested in 2020, but is now willing to settle for 61–63 seats.

• The RJD, wary of reducing its share below 130 seats, remains firm due to Congress’s poor performance in 2020, where it won only 19 of 70 seats.

• The stalemate worsened when RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav prematurely handed out tickets to certain candidates while his son Tejashwi Yadav was in Delhi negotiating with Congress. These symbols were later withdrawn as Tejashwi returned to Patna, angering Congress leaders.

Smaller parties, including Mukesh Sahni’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and CPI(ML), are also demanding more seats. The VIP reportedly seeks 40 seats and a deputy chief minister post, while CPI(ML) is pressing for 35–40 seats based on its strong 2020 performance.

NDA Seat-Sharing Tussle

Although the NDA has announced seat counts, internal disagreements continue:

• BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each.

• Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) demanded 40 seats but is likely to get 29.

• Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) are allotted 6 seats each.

Disputes have arisen over overlapping constituencies, causing the NDA press conference to be called off. Tensions between Nitish Kumar (JD(U)) and Chirag Paswan (LJP) have resurfaced over key seats such as Sonbarsa and Rajgir.

The BJP is attempting to mediate, aware that past elections were impacted by independent candidates fielded by Chirag, which reduced JD(U)’s seat tally in 2020.

Political Implications

• The seat-sharing deadlock is delaying both alliances from launching proper campaigns.

• Internal tensions risk splitting votes, especially in constituencies with overlapping claims.

• With smaller allies pressing hard and major parties refusing to compromise, the next few weeks will be crucial for finalizing candidate lists.

As the countdown continues, Bihar’s political stage is heating up, and voters are watching to see which alliances manage to present a unified front ahead of the polls.