New Delhi/Patna: Just as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) appeared to stabilize its seat-sharing arrangement with the reported finalization of a deal involving Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas), a fresh crisis has erupted. Upendra Kushwaha, President of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), signaled his strong dissatisfaction with the proposed allocation, culminating in an urgent, 90-minute meeting with BJP National President JP Nadda late Saturday.
The meeting took place at Nadda’s residence shortly after the BJP’s core group—which included senior leader Amit Shah—had convened to discuss candidate selections. Kushwaha’s parley followed an earlier visit by another aggrieved ally, Hindustani Awam Morcha- Secular (HAM- S) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi, underscoring the high-stakes negotiation currently plaguing the coalition.
#WATCH दिल्ली: आरएलएम के राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष उपेंद्र कुशवाहा केंद्रीय मंत्री और भाजपा के राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष जेपी नड्डा के आवास से रवाना हुए।#BiharElections2025 pic.twitter.com/hEDlTMyHyF
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) October 11, 2025
The Social Media Strike
The RLM chief made his discontent public even before his meeting, taking to social media to quell speculation and exert pressure. Amid rumors that a seat-sharing formula was all but complete, Kushwaha posted a cryptic but powerful message on X: “Don’t believe the rumours. The talks are not yet complete. Wait…!” This post directly challenged the narrative of a finalized deal, confirming the internal tensions had not been resolved to his satisfaction.
इधर-उधर की खबरों पर मत जाइए। वार्ता अभी पूरी नहीं हुई है। इंतजार कीजिए…! मीडिया में कैसे खबर चल रही है, मुझको नहीं पता। अगर कोई खबर प्लांट कर रहा है तो यह छल है, धोखा है। आप लोग ऐसे ही सजग रहिए।#BiharElections2025
— Upendra Kushwaha (@UpendraKushRLM) October 11, 2025
Sources suggest that Kushwaha is being offered approximately six seats, a figure far below his party’s reported demand for 20 constituencies. The RLM’s strategy appears to be focused less on the total number of seats and more on securing specific, strategically vital constituencies.
The Sheikhpura Bottleneck
The negotiations have reportedly hit a major snag over the Sheikhpura Assembly seat. Kushwaha is pushing aggressively for this constituency, intending to field Rahul Kumar, the son of his trusted ally Jitendra Nath. Kumar has been preparing to contest from the area for some time.
However, Sheikhpura is a legacy seat for the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U))—which is part of the larger NDA framework—and they are keen to retain it. In the 2020 elections, the JD(U)’s Randhir Soni lost the seat to the RJD, and the party is determined to field its own candidate there once again.
