Bihar polls: NDA finalises seat-sharing deal, announcement likely tomorrow

Patna, Oct 10 (IANS) The deadlock over seat-sharing within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the forthcoming Bihar Assembly elections 2025 appears to have ended, with a formal announcement expected on Saturday.

According to sources, an agreement has been reached between Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding the distribution of seats.

The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Chirag Paswan, is likely to get 25 to 26 seats, marking the end of a tense round of negotiations within the alliance.

Union Minister Nityanand Rai is said to have played a key role in resolving the impasse.

The BJP entrusted him with the responsibility of holding talks with Chirag Paswan to secure a consensus.

Rai met Paswan four times in the past 24 hours in New Delhi, and both leaders have now hinted that a positive outcome has been reached.

Following their latest meeting on Friday, when asked about the talks, Chirag Paswan smiled and said, “What Rai said is the situation. All details will be shared in due course.”

Chirag Paswan also said that until PM Narendra Modi is here, he is not worried about anything.

Earlier, Rai had told reporters, “The smiles on our faces say it all. Everything is positive.”

Meanwhile, another NDA ally, former Chief Minister and HAM(S) president Jitan Ram Manjhi, continues to take a firm stand on seat allocation.

Sources indicate that Jitan Ram Manjhi is insisting not just on the number of seats but also on contesting from specific constituencies of his choice.

After concluding discussions with Chirag Paswan, Nityanand Rai also met Dharmendra Pradhan, the BJP’s in-charge for the Bihar Assembly elections.

Bihar NDA has five constituent partners, including BJP, JD-U, LJ-PRV led by Chirag Paswan, HAM led by Jitan Ram Manjhi and RLM led by Upendra Kushwaha.

--IANS

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