Bihar polls: Struggle for seat sharing in NDA as nomination process underway

With the nomination process underway for both phases of the Bihar Assembly elections, political activity has intensified across the state. With only three days left to file nominations for the first phase, the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) are facing internal disagreements over the modalities of sharing seats.

News18 Hindi reported that differences emerged within the NDA in four Assembly constituencies: Tarapur, Sonbarsa, Rajgir and Morwa. These seats have become the new flashpoints between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Janata Dal (United), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Disagreement over Tarapur seat

The most contentious issue appears to be the Tarapur seat, currently associated with BJP state president and deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary, who is considered the key face of the party in Bihar. The BJP is gearing up to field Choudhary from Tarapur, but Nitish Kumar reportedly wants the seat to remain under the JD(U) quota.
Sensing the chief minister’s displeasure, the BJP is reportedly considering alternative constituencies for Samrat Choudhary, including Kumhrar or Patna Sahib of Patna, as part of its plan B, the report said.

Chirag Paswan is behind Nitish’s discontent

The report added that Nitish’s displeasure also stems from the three seats allocated to Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti (Ram Vilas) Party – Sonbarsa, Rajgir and Morwa. Nitish is said to be keen to win back these constituencies for the JD(U).

The situation worsened after Nitish on Sunday evening handed over the party’s ticket for Sonbarsa to minister Ratnesh Sada, reaffirming the JD(U)’s claim to the seat. The move indicates that the chief minister is not willing to back down.

NDA Seat Sharing Plan

The BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each, the LJP (Ram Vilas) – 29 seats, and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) as well as Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) – six seats each.