Patna: In a dramatic escalation of the Bihar election 2025 seat-sharing row, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called an emergency meeting of top JD(U) strategists in Patna, signalling deepening tensions within the NDA alliance. The move came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally reached out to Nitish to defuse the brewing crisis.
Sources confirmed that Modi and Kumar had a “positive conversation,” leading to fresh hope of an internal resolution. JD(U)’s working president Sanjay Jha told reporters that “Nitish Kumar is not upset” and that the seat-sharing formula “has been finalised,” with only a formal announcement pending.
According to senior alliance members, the dispute centres around nine seats that were reportedly allocated to smaller NDA allies under the Delhi formula — all of which JD(U) has consistently won in past elections. Nitish Kumar, however, is firmly opposed to surrendering these seats.
The JD(U) chief is also said to be demanding parity or a symbolic edge over the BJP in seat allocation — with discussions indicating that JD(U) may contest one seat more than the saffron party under a revised formula.
The emergency meeting, scheduled at the Chief Minister’s residence around noon, was attended by senior JD(U) strategists and key state-level leaders. Meanwhile, BJP’s Bihar in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan continued parallel consultations with party leaders, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to reach Patna by evening to oversee developments firsthand.
