Seat-Sharing Tussle Heats Up in Bihar
Bihar Seat Sharing 2025: Grand Alliance and nda Grapple with Internal Demands
With just 1.5 to 2 months left for the bihar assembly elections 2025, both Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) and NDA are struggling with seat-sharing negotiations.
In the Grand Alliance, the entry of new allies has complicated the situation. The RJD, leading the alliance, data-faces intense pressure to satisfy all partners’ demands.
Congress is demanding 70 seats, the same as last time, and is unwilling to settle for less.
Left parties want 40 seats (up from 29 in 2020).
Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party wants 10 seats, while JMM is asking for 5 seats.
If RJD accepts these demands, it will be left with just 58 seats to contest, putting its dominance at risk.
RJD leadership is urging congress to settle for 40 seats, so the remaining 30 can go to smaller allies like VIP, JMM, and RLJP.
VIP, having contested 3 seats in Lok Sabha elections, is now demanding 20 assembly seats. congress insists that RJD should sacrifice its share to accommodate new allies.
Confusion in nda Over Seat Sharing
In the nda, tensions are rising as JDU wants the largest share to reflect its senior role in the alliance.
BJP and JDU have agreed to contest on 200–205 seats combined, leaving limited room for other allies.
LJP (Ram Vilas), led by Chirag Paswan, is unhappy with the offer of 20–25 seats, demanding more.
Smaller nda partners like HAM (Jitan ram Manjhi) and RLM (Upendra Kushwaha) are each demanding around 12 seats, adding to the internal competition.
Both alliances data-face a delicate balancing act, with ambition and alliance management at the core of Bihar’s political chessboard.