Bihar polls: NDA camp finalises seat-sharing; BJP and JD-U to contest 101 seats each

New Delhi: Ending the suspense over seat-sharing in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for Bihar Assembly elections, BJP’s Bihar in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday announced that Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and the BJP will contest 101 seats each while the rest will be distributed in junior coalition partners including LJP (R), RLM and HAM.

The announcement comes after a series of parleys between the NDA alliance partners, both in Delhi and Patna, over hammering out a seat-sharing formula.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took to his social media account to share the seat-sharing details in the NDA.

“We, the NDA allies, have completed the seat-sharing in cordial atmosphere. JDU 101, BJP 101, LJP (Ram Vilas) 29, Rashtriya Lok Morcha 6, and Hindustani Awam Morcha 6,” he said in a post on X.

“NDA allies have completed the distribution of seats in a cordial atmosphere. All workers and leaders of NDA parties warmly welcome this. Bihar is ready… once again NDA government,” he further said.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-RV) also said on his X account that the NDA family is intact, and all alliance partners will take to the hustings with full force to bring back the NDA government to power in Bihar, again.

Hindustani Awam Morcha-led by former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi — currently the Union Minister, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) led by Upendra Kushwaha have bagged 6 seats each.

Notably, the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections will be held on November 6 and the second phase on November 11. Counting of votes will take place on November 14.

Nitish Kumar-led NDA alliance and Tejashwi Yadav-led Mahagathbandhan are seen as the key players in the high-stakes contest of Bihar.

However, ‘new entrant’ Jan Suraaj, led by Prashant Kishor has thrown the poll arena open for a possible triangular contest.

–IANS