NDA Finalizes Seat-Share Pact for Bihar in Lok Sabha Elections
The NDA has revealed the coalition’s agreement on seat-sharing in Bihar, a pivotal state with 40 seats up for grabs in the upcoming elections starting from April 19th.
On Monday, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) disclosed the seat-sharing arrangement among its five-party coalition in Bihar, a state of significant electoral importance, where 40 Lok Sabha seats will be contested across seven phases starting from April 19th.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest in 17 seats, maintaining the same number as in 2019, while its key ally, the Janata Dal (United), will contest in 16 seats, one less than in 2019. This marks the first instance where the BJP will be contesting more seats than the JD(U).
The faction led by Chirag Paswan within the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will contest five seats, one of which includes Hajipur, where Chirag’s estranged uncle and Union minister, Pashupati Paras, currently holds the seat. This decision indicates that the alliance has opted for Ramvilas Paswan’s son, Chirag, over his brother Paras, who rebelled in 2021 and established his own party.
The Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) led by Upendra Kushwaha and Jitan Ram Majhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha (Secular) will each contest in one seat.
Vinod Tawde, the BJP national general secretary and also the party’s Bihar in-charge, mentioned that the NDA allies completed the seat allocation within 48 hours. “While each party within the NDA will contest using their own symbols, we are united in our efforts… and all parties will exert their full strength,” Tawde stated.
In the 2019 elections, the NDA dominated Bihar by securing victory in 39 out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats. Among them, the BJP triumphed in all 17 seats it contested, while the JD(U) claimed victory in 16 seats and the LJP secured six seats.
On Monday, BJP leaders were accompanied by JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha during the seat-sharing announcement.
As per the seat-sharing arrangement, the JD(U) will field candidates in Valmikinagar, Sitamarhi, Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Madhepura, Gopalganj, Siwan, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Nalanda, Jehanabad, and Sheohar. Two seats previously contested by the JD(U) in 2019, Gaya and Karakat, have been allocated to HAM-S and RLSP, respectively. Both of these smaller parties were part of the Opposition’s Grand Alliance in 2019.
In exchange, the JD(U) secured the Sheohar Lok Sabha seat, previously held by BJP’s Rama Devi in 2019. According to senior party officials familiar with the matter, the JD(U) is expected to nominate Lovely Anand, the wife of former MP Anand Mohan, who was released from prison last year after serving a 15-year sentence in a murder case.
On Monday, Lovely Anand, a former Lok Sabha MP representing Bihar’s Vaishali constituency, officially joined the JD(U). Despite her son, Chetan Anand, being a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA, he cast his vote in favor of the NDA during Nitish Kumar’s trust vote on February 12th.
As part of the exchange for the Sheohar seat, the BJP will field candidates in Nawada, which was previously won by LJP candidate Chandan Singh in 2019 before he switched to the Paras faction in 2021. Additionally, the BJP will contest in the following constituencies: West Champaran, East Champaran, Aurangabad, Madhubani, Araria, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Maharajganj, Saran, Ujiarpur, Begusarai, Patna Sahib, Patiliputra, Ara, Buxar, and Sasaram.
The LJP held onto its strongholds in Hajipur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Khagaria, and Jamui. Chirag Paswan is expected to be the candidate from Hajipur, a seat that his uncle Pashupati Paras had aspirations for.
Samrat Chaudhary, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and a leader of the BJP, stated that discussions are ongoing with Paras to address his concerns. Chaudhary mentioned, “Negotiations with Paras are still underway.”
Chirag Paswan expressed gratitude towards PM Modi for maintaining the dignity of their party.
The JD(U) also expressed contentment regarding the seat-sharing arrangement. “The seat allocation was settled harmoniously. In the 2019 elections, apart from one or two seats, we secured victory with margins exceeding 200,000 votes. With the progress witnessed in Bihar’s development, we aim to replicate our previous success,” stated Sanjay Jha, a Rajya Sabha MP from JD(U).
A BJP official, speaking anonymously, remarked, “Although the BJP secured victory in all the seats it contested in 2019, we are determined to intensify our efforts to prevent any possibility of losing even a single seat.”
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