Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed strong displeasure over the seat-sharing formula of NDA and allocation of assembly seats to Janata Dal
(United) for the upcoming state assembly election, sources told Times Now.
According to insiders, Nitish Kumar conveyed his concerns to the party’s acting president, Sanjay Jha and Union Minister Lalan Singh, urging them to reopen discussions with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the seat-sharing arrangement.
Nitish Kumar raised objections over nine seats, which were previously held by JD(U), insisting that these constituencies should remain with his party.
NDA's Seat-Sharing Arrangement For Bihar
Union Minister and BJP's Bihar poll in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday announced that BJP and the JD(U) will each contest on 101 seats in the Bihar assembly elections, while Union minister Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party will field its candidates on 29 seats.
Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha will field their candidates on six seats each, he said.
Also Read - Explained: How BJP-JDU Seat Formula in Bihar Signals a Shift in Power Balance Within NDA
BJP Allies Unhappy Over Seat-Sharing Arrangement?
The differences among the constituents of the ruling NDA in Bihar came to the fore soon after the announcement of seat-sharing arrangement. Smaller allies Hindustani Awam Morcha, headed by Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha of Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha, which got six seats each, had expressed their resentment over the seat-sharing formula.
Commenting on the seat-sharing arrangements, Manjhi told reporters on Sunday, "What the high command has decided, we have accepted. But by giving us just six seats, they have underestimated us. It may cost the NDA in the elections."
Similarly, Kushwaha, in a late-night post on X, addressed his party workers after seat sharing was announced, and wrote, "Dear friends/colleagues, I seek your forgiveness. The number of seats we got is not as per your expectations. I understand that this decision will hurt those colleagues who aspired to be candidates of our party."
"Today, in many homes, food might not have been cooked. However, I am sure you all understand the constraints and limitations of both me and the party. I humbly request you to let the anger subside, and then you will yourself realise how appropriate or inappropriate the decision is. Time will tell the rest," he added.
