NDA finalises Bihar seat-sharing for LS polls: JD(U) to contest 16, BJP to field candidates in 17 seats

New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance on Monday announced the seat distribution in Bihar for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The BJP will contest 17 seats, one more than its ally Janata Dal (United), which will contest in 16.

Additionally, five seats have been allocated for the Chirag Paswan faction of the Lok Janshakti Party, and one seat each for the Jitan Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

The announcement is likely to deepen the rift between Paswan and his uncle, Union Food Processing Minister Pashupati Paras. Paras is set to exit the NDA after the BJP publicly sided with his nephew.

Making the announcement at the party headquarters, BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde was flanked by Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, JD(U) general secretary Sanjay Jha, LJP leader Raju Tiwari, and HAM’s Rajneesh Kumar.

“The symbols of these parties will be different, but all the parties of the NDA will contest all the 40 seats with their full strength,” Tawde said.

He outlined the constituencies allocated to various parties, stating that West Champaran, East Champaran, Aurangabad, Madhubani, Araria, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Maharajganj, Saran, Ujiarpur, Begusarai, Nawada, Patna Sahib, Patiliputra, Ara, Buxar, and Sasaram have been allocated to the BJP.

Meanwhile, the JD(U) will announce candidates for Valmikinagar, Sitamarhi, Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Madhepura, Gopalganj, Siwan, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Nalanda, Jehanabad, and Sheohar.

LJP (Ram Vilas) will contest in Vaishali, Samastipur, Khagaria, and Jamui, alongside Hajipur. Meanwhile, HAM and RLM will contest from Gaya and Karakat, respectively.

The announcement shows that the BJP will contest one more seat than the JD(U) this term compared to their 2019 arrangement. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-JD(U) combine had contested 17 seats each, winning 39 of the 40 seats, along with the LJP. However, JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar left the NDA in 2022 to form a government with the RJD. He returned to the NDA fold in January this year.

Sources added that Upendra Kushwaha, who sought two seats in the alliance, has been in contact with the opposition bloc.

The LJP had contested six seats in 2019, but the party split in 2021 following the passing of party founder Ram Vilas Paswan. The BJP sided with the Pashupati Paras faction. This decision had cost the BJP a significant chunk of votes in the Bihar assembly elections. However, Chirag Paswan maintained a connection with the BJP. According to Monday’s announcement, Paras’s Hajipur seat will now be allocated to Chirag.