Bihar NDA Seat-Sharing Talks Expected in June-July, Says Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi

NDA partners in Bihar are expected to hold seat-sharing talks by late June or early July, with Jitan Ram Manjhi asserting that elections will be fought under Nitish Kumar’s leadership.

Bihar NDA Seat-Sharing Talks Expected in June-July, Says Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi

New Delhi/ Patna: Seat-sharing talks among the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in Bihar are expected to take place in the last week of June or the first week of July, Union MSME Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi said on Monday after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

Manjhi clarified that there is no fixed demand regarding the number of seats his party expects but expressed confidence that all constituent parties would receive a “respectable” share. Discussions on seat allocation are seen as crucial ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, with the NDA working to project a united front.

Reiterating the alliance’s leadership position, Manjhi said there is no ambiguity within the NDA, and that all constituent parties will contest under the leadership of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. “This time NDA will win 225 seats and form the government again under Nitish Kumar’s leadership,” he asserted, adding that senior NDA leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, had endorsed this arrangement.

Manjhi’s meeting with Shah was primarily a courtesy call, during which he thanked the Home Minister for inducting him into the Union Cabinet despite HAM having only one MP. He emphasised that no discussions were held about seat numbers during the meeting. “There was no demand placed. It was a scheduled personal meeting which had earlier been postponed due to the terrorist incident in Pahalgam,” Manjhi said.

The meeting is being seen as part of broader efforts to maintain cohesion within the NDA as it prepares for high-stakes electoral battles in Bihar.