With the dates of the Bihar Assembly elections announced, political activities have intensified across the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday held a meeting with Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan to finalize seat-sharing arrangements within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). At the same time, tensions have surfaced within the opposition alliance over the issue of declaring a common chief ministerial face.
Senior BJP leaders, including Bihar election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, met Chirag Paswan in Delhi to discuss seat distribution. According to sources, Chirag has demanded at least 40 seats for his party, expressing dissatisfaction with the number of constituencies being offered. The BJP and Janata Dal (United) are reportedly contesting around 100 seats together, while the remaining are to be divided among smaller allies, including LJP and Hindustani Awam Morcha.
In the opposition camp, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has announced Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate, but the Congress has not yet confirmed its support for that decision. Congress leader Udit Raj said that while Tejashwi remains the “preferred face,” the party has not taken a formal call. Political observers believe this reflects Congress’s attempt to secure a better deal in seat-sharing negotiations.
Left parties, including CPI(ML) Liberation, are also demanding a larger share of seats within the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), further delaying the finalization of candidate lists.
The Election Commission has announced that the Bihar polls will be held in two phases — on November 6 and November 11 — and the results will be declared on November 14. The notification for the first phase will be issued on October 10, with nominations open until October 17 and withdrawals allowed till October 20. The notification for the second phase will be issued on October 13.
With only weeks left before the election schedule begins, both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan are under pressure to finalize seat-sharing arrangements and settle internal disagreements. Political analysts believe that the outcome of these negotiations could have a decisive impact on the electoral battle in Bihar.