New Delhi/Patna: Intense negotiations between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its crucial ally, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Chief Chirag Paswan, appeared to have reached a positive conclusion on Thursday, signaling an imminent resolution to the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) seat-sharing deadlock in Bihar.
The political spotlight remained fixed on Delhi as Paswan held a high-stakes meeting with senior BJP leader Nityanand Rai. Both leaders emerged from the discussions smiling, offering cryptic but optimistic remarks to the waiting media.
“Our faces speak for themselves,” Rai said, underscoring the positive atmosphere of the talks. Chirag Paswan echoed the sentiment, stating simply, “Everything has been positive.”
Later in the evening, another meeting was held on the issue between Chirag, Nityanand Rai and BJP’s Bihar election incharge Dharmendra Pradhan.
LJP (RV) Authorizes Paswan to Seal the Deal
The Delhi meeting followed an emergency gathering of senior LJP (Ram Vilas) functionaries in Patna earlier in the day. During the meeting, the party unanimously moved to centralize decision-making, entrusting the final responsibility for the seat-sharing formula entirely to their national president, Chirag Paswan.
LJP (RV) leader Raju Tiwari confirmed the party’s full confidence in Paswan, noting that negotiations are ongoing but a formal announcement will be made only once the details are finalized. Party MP Shambhavi Chaudhary emphasized that the party has been proactively preparing for potential seats and working to strengthen their booth-level organization across Bihar.
Mounting Pressure as Nominations Loom
The apparent breakthrough in the NDA talks comes amid severe pressure on both major political formations in Bihar. The nomination process for the 121 seats in the first phase of the Assembly elections is scheduled to begin on Friday, yet neither the NDA nor the opposition Grand Alliance has announced its final seat-sharing formula or released candidate names.
The lack of clarity has caused significant delays in the announcement of candidates and is intensifying internal stress within both coalitions as the official campaign timeline shrinks. The positive sign from the BJP-LJP (RV) meeting suggests the NDA may be close to moving past its internal allocation issues, potentially allowing it to accelerate its campaign strategy ahead of its rivals.
