The Mahagathbandhan has nearly settled its seat-sharing formula, but discussions continue over the chief ministerial face. Another meeting is scheduled today at Tejashwi Yadav’s residence to resolve the issue.
On Tuesday morning, JDU’s national executive president and MP Sanjay Jha met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Speaking afterwards, Jha said the NDA remains united and seat-sharing will be finalised soon. A separate meeting on the issue is also taking place at the Chief Minister’s residence.
Meanwhile, Bihar BJP election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan travelled to Delhi on Monday night to meet LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan for further discussions.
According to sources, Chirag Paswan is demanding 25–30 seats for his party, while Jitan Ram Manjhi has sought 15 seats for HAM. Pradhan is expected to meet Chirag in Delhi today to discuss the matter. NDA leaders are expected to announce the seat-sharing arrangement within the next two days.
In the Grand Alliance, seat-sharing is reportedly complete. After a long meeting at Tejashwi Yadav’s residence on Sunday night, VIP chief Mukesh Sahani said all issues related to seat division have been resolved.
Another meeting is being held today at Tejashwi’s residence, with leaders from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Left parties also expected to attend. Discussions will include the number of seats to be offered to Pashupati Paras’s faction. However, the alliance is yet to reach a consensus on its chief ministerial candidate.
Complications over seat distribution
Sources say there are two main challenges in the NDA’s seat-sharing talks: deciding the total number of seats for each partner and determining which specific constituencies they will contest. While there is broad agreement on seat numbers, disputes have emerged over individual constituencies.
Chirag Paswan’s party has claimed several seats, including Chakai and Sikandra under the Jamui Lok Sabha constituency. Currently, Chakai is represented by independent MLA Sumit Singh, who serves as a minister in Nitish Kumar’s government, while the Sikandra seat is held by a HAM MLA. Multiple parties staking claims on the same seats have caused further delays.
