Allies grow restless, seat talks after poll dates in Bihar

Despite regular public remarks from allies in both the NDA and the INDIA bloc, sources told ET that formal seat-sharing negotiations in Bihar will begin only after the Election Commission announces the poll schedule.

Within the NDA, smaller allies are pushing for early discussions. LJP (RV) leader Arun Bharti has been vocal on social media, demanding a "respectable" share of seats and pressing the BJP and JD(U). HAM (S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi has also publicly flagged his expectations. Recently, Union minister and LJP (RV) leader Chirag Paswan met RLP's Upendra Kushwaha in Delhi, where the two discussed their desire to contest a significant number of seats in the Magadh-Shahabad region.

In the INDIA bloc, Congress has sought early talks and is pressuring the RJD to finalise a formula for seat exchange among partners. The CPI (ML), which contested 19 seats in 2020 and won 12, besides bagging two Lok Sabha seats in 2024, is demanding a bigger share this time. VIP leader Mukesh Sahni has gone a step further, insisting he be made deputy chief minister if the alliance forms the government.


RJD sources, however, maintained that allies will sit together on seat distribution only once the election dates are declared.