NEW DELHI: Although the nomination process for 121 seats in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections began on Friday, ahead of polling on November 6, both the JD(U)-led NDA and the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan are yet to finalise seat-sharing arrangements within their alliances and the announcement of candidate lists.
The situation highlights how forming and managing pre-poll alliances in Bihar has become increasingly difficult, driven by shifting political equations and competing ambitions.
Sources within the BJP indicate that the NDA’s internal seat-sharing arrangement is likely to be finalised within a day or two, after which the party plans to release its first list of candidates.
The JD(U), another key NDA ally, is also expected to announce its candidate list soon, according to party insiders. Meanwhile, Union Minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is reportedly demanding 45 seats, while the NDA has offered between 20 and 22.
As negotiations continued on Friday, BJP Bihar in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan arrived in Patna to finalise the seat-sharing arrangement and prepare a fresh list of candidates.
It is speculated that the NDA may soon reach an agreement, with the BJP likely to contest around 101–102 seats, JD(U) 102–103, LJP (RV) 23–25, and LJP 20–23, while both HAM and RLM may be allotted 7 seats each.
Amid the ongoing uncertainty with the two main alliances, Prashant Kishor’s newly formed political outfit, Jan Suraaj, took the lead on Thursday by announcing a list of 51 candidates.
In Delhi, senior Bihar BJP leader and MoS for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai met Chirag Paswan for the second consecutive day, saying that “the talk moved in a positive direction”.
The ongoing confusion within both the ruling and opposition camps is being linked to rising regional political aspirations, particularly among smaller parties that depend heavily on caste-based support. Local political analysts say these ambitions continue to complicate alliance politics in Bihar.
The first phase of polling will cover key districts including Patna, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Buxar, and Bhojpur.
