BJP's smaller allies stare at loss of seats for Lok Sabha elections

With JDU back in NDA fold, seat sharing among alliance partners will see a realignment in Bihar. BJP's smaller partners fear that their share may fall in the new arrangement.

In 2019, BJP, JDU and LJP contested the Lok Sabha elections together. While BJP and JDU contested 17 seats each, LJP contested six seats. BJP won 17, JDU 16 and LJP six.

LJP is no longer a single party. There are two factions - one headed by Chirag Paswan and another by his uncle and Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras. Hindustani Awam Morcha of Jitan Ram Manjhi and Rashtriya Lok Janta Dal of Upendra Kushwaha are also now with BJP.


Paswan claims he is the heir apparent of the late Ram Vilas Paswan and he should get the six seats as in 2019. Paras is also a claimant to senior Paswan's legacy. Both the factions are claiming the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat, currently represented by Paras.

Sources in Paswan camp told ET that in case the party doesn't get the seats, it could put up candidates on six constituencies it contested in 2019 and against all JDU candidates. This is what Paswan did in the 2020 Bihar elections, which severely restricted Nitish Kumar-led JDU to 45.

Over the past two days, Paswan had met several BJP leaders in New Delhi. On Sunday, BJP president JP Nadda and Paswan flew together to Patna to the swearing-in ceremony. Nadda also invited Upendra Kushwaha to the event. Kushwaha wants at least two Lok Sabha seats for his party. Manjhi, who has four MLAs, is in demand from both sides. He is going to demand 2-3 seats.

If BJP and JDU contest 17 seats each as per 2019 formula, others will have to be adjusted in the remaining six seats. But it is likely that JDU may be forced to make a compromise on the number of seats. The situation for the party is not like what it was in 2019, when it was a senior partner in NDA in Bihar. In 2024, BJP is the senior partner.