The National Democratic Alliance announced its seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections on Sunday.
As part of the deal, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) will contest 101 seats each of the total 243 Assembly constituencies.
Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party has been allotted 29 seats, while the Rashtriya Lok Morcha and Hindustani Awam Morcha will contest on six seats each.
The Assembly polls are due to be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11, while the votes will be counted on November 14.
The Opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance is yet to announce its seat-sharing deal.
After the NDA’s announcement, Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan said that the Opposition alliance’s seat-sharing talks will be finalised on Monday, reported ANI.
The alliance comprises the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress, Pashupati Kumar Paras’ Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party and three Left parties – Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist).
In the 2020 Assembly polls, the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan ended up with an identical vote share at 37.2%.
However, the NDA returned to power in Bihar with a slender majority, winning 125 seats in the 243-member state Assembly. The Opposition bagged 110 seats.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal, led by Lalu Prasad Yadav, emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats but still lost the election.
On Sunday, Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi said that he was “content” with the number of seats allocated to his party, reported ANI.
“In the Parliament, we were given only one seat, were we upset?” Manjhi said. “Similarly, if we got only six seats, it is the decision of the high command. We accept it…We are content with what we have been given.”
This came days after Manjhi warned the NDA that the Hindustani Awam Morcha would not contest the Bihar elections if the party is not allocated 15 constituencies.
“If we are not allotted 15 seats, it means we will remain just a registered party,” he told reporters on October 8. “In that case, what is the point of contesting the elections? We will not contest.”
His statement had come on the same day that BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh said that Nitish Kumar is the National Democratic Alliance’s chief minister face in the Assembly polls.
