Bihar seat-sharing talks gather pace: BJP reaches out to Chirag, allies

CPI (ML)L says no to 19 seats offered by Grand Alliance

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership on Tuesday held meetings with its Bihar allies to work out an acceptable seat-sharing formula while tensions were also apparent in the rival Grand Alliance over the sharing of seats.

 

Less than 10 days are left for filing of nomination papers for the first phase of the Bihar polls.  Polling will take place in two phases, on November 6 and 11, and the votes will be counted on November 14.

 

On Tuesday, BJP’s Bihar in-charge Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held talks with his colleague in the Council of Ministers Chirag Paswan, who heads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). Paswan’s party had won five Lok Sabha seats in 2024, and has staked claim to contest 30 Assembly seats. Others present at the meeting were BJP leaders Vinod Tawde and Mangal Pandey. In 2020, the Paswan-led party had walked out of the BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance.

 

 

 It contested 135 seats but won only one. But it dented Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United)’s prospects in several seats. The BJP also reached out to Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustan Awam Party (HAM), and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). According to sources, the current formula within the NDA is for the JD(U) to contest 102 seats, BJP 101, LJP (RV) 25-26, HAM and RLM contesting 7-8 seats each.

 

As for the rival Grand Alliance led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress, the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, or CPI (ML)L, on Tuesday rejected an offer to fight on 19 seats. The CPI (ML)L had contested 19 seats in the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls as part of the grand alliance, and emerged with the best strike rate by winning 12. The Left party hopes to contest 25-30 seats in the 2025 Assembly polls. The Mahagathbandhan also has the CPI, CPI(M), and Mukesh Sahni’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) as allies.

 

According to sources, the RJD could contest 130 seats, Congress 55, the three Left parties 35, and VIP 20 seats. The JMM could also contest seats bordering Jharkhand.  Outgoing Bihar Assembly met for 29 days a year on average