NDA leaders declare Bihar seat-sharing issue ‘resolved’, candidate selection moving ‘positively’
Patna: Several leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Tuesday took to social media to declare that the seat-sharing issue among alliance partners in Bihar has been resolved amicably. All of them posted the same message, in a show of unity within the coalition ahead of the Assembly elections.
They stated that discussions over which party will contest which seat are in the final stage and progressing positively.
“The issue of seat allocation among NDA parties has been resolved through amicable discussions. The discussion on which party will contest which seat is also in its final stage with positive talks,” the post read.
“Under the leadership of Narendra Modi ji and Nitish Kumar ji, all NDA parties are fully prepared with complete unity,” the post added.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha, and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) national president Chirag Paswan were among those who shared the identical message on X.
However, no such post came from leaders of the Janata Dal (United) and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).
The development comes amid reports of internal discontent over the seat-sharing arrangement for the Bihar Assembly elections.
As per the agreement announced on Sunday, the BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each. Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) has been allotted 29 seats, while Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM have been given six seats each.
Both Kushwaha and Manjhi voiced dissatisfaction with the formula, as HAM had demanded 40 seats and RLM had sought 24. Despite this, both leaders have reiterated their commitment to remain part of the NDA and contest the polls together.
In a post on X on Monday, Kushwaha apologised to his supporters, acknowledging the disappointment over the limited number of seats, stating, “I seek your forgiveness. The number of seats could not be as per your expectations. I understand that this decision will hurt the hearts of thousands and millions, including those colleagues who aspired to be candidates of our party.”
“I am sure you all understand the constraints and limitations of both me and the party. Behind every decision, some circumstances are visible from the outside, but some are not. I humbly request you to let the anger subside, and then you will yourself realise how appropriate or inappropriate the decision is. Time will tell the rest,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jitan Ram Manjhi, in a conversation with IANS, had said, “In the parliamentary elections, we were told that we would get two Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat, but we got only one. Now, we had said a minimum of eight seats was needed for recognition as a registered party. But one cannot be sure that if they get eight seats, they will win all. Therefore, we requested at least 15 seats, but they allotted only six. Even then, we are satisfied.”
