Bihar Election 205: NDA Nears Seat-Sharing Deal; BJP May Contest 101 Seats, JD(U) 102; Boost Likely For Chirag, Manjhi, Kushwaha

With Bihar assembly elections nearing its date, political parties have intensified their talks to seal the seat-sharing deal.

Bihar Polls: The 243-seat Bihar assembly will go to the polls around November this year and the political parties have already intensified their seat-sharing talks. The main contest in Bihar is likely between arch-rivals NDA and the Mahagathbandhan or INDIA bloc. The NDA is the ruling party while Mahagathbandhan is looking to make it to power this time without the JD(U). Amid the poll campaigning, the National Democratic Alliance is said to have almost finalized their broad seat-sharing terms. 

Bihar NDA Seat Sharing

If reports are to be believed, the BJP may contest 101 seats this time while Nitish Kumar's JD(U) may get 102 seats, one more than the saffron party. The junior partners of the alliance are likely to gain big this time. Chirag Paswan's LJP-RV may get 18-22 seats while Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha may get 7-9 seats each. 

Suspense Over Nitish Kumar

This time, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's future role has been a subject of speculation. Since the resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, there are reports that Kumar may be elevated to the national role. This will pave way for a BJP Chief Minister in Bihar, giving the party more control over state affairs. While the JD(U) has rejected the claims saying that Nitish Kumar will continue to serve as the CM, the buzz is not dying down.

Mahagathbandhan Seat Sharing

Notably, Tejashwi Yadav led Mahagathbandhan is also facing a seat sharing issue. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has demanded around 12 seats from the RJD, in favour of giving six seats to the latter in the Jharkhand assembly election. Also, the Congress party is likely to demand around 90 seats. Besides, there are VIP and Left parties who are also demanding increased number of seats this time. Moreover, Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, which won a handful of seats last time, is seeking inclusion in the Mahagathbandhan. If it happens, the seat sharing issue will further get complicated.