In Bihar, an intense tussle among various political parties and their allies continues over the seat sharing and distribution of tickets for the Assembly polls. Within the NDA, the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) have finalised the names of their probable candidates for the seats they plan to contest. At the BJP election committee meeting held in Patna yesterday, the list of candidates was approved, and the party’s Central Parliamentary Board was authorised to take the final decision. Union Minister Chirag Paswan’s party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), has demanded 40 seats from the BJP. In view of this, Chirag Paswan’s party once again appears to be showing signs of rebellion. Meanwhile, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s party, Hindustani Awam Morcha, has complicated the seat sharing matters further by demanding 15 seats.

Due to these demands from the allied partners, the NDA has not yet been able to finalise any formula for seat distribution. BJP senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said that there is no conflict over seat sharing and that the NDA will soon make an official announcement. Another round of meetings among the NDA allies is expected soon. On the other hand, within the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan), the CPI(ML), CPI, and Mukesh Sahani-led Vikassheel Insaan Party have demanded a larger share of seats in their quota, resulting in an unclear situation regarding seat allocation within the alliance as well. Meanwhile, the Congress Central Election Committee, in its meeting in New Delhi, has finalised the names of candidates for the first phase of elections and instructed them to start preparing in their respective constituencies. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has also asked its probable candidates to begin campaigning in their assembly areas. The Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraj Party is scheduled to announce the names of its candidates today.