New Delhi/Patna: With the Bihar Assembly elections fast approaching, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) continues to grapple with seat-sharing complications as discussions between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) failed to yield an agreement on Tuesday.
Sources close to the negotiations said significant differences remain between Chirag Paswan’s demands and the BJP’s offer. The BJP, represented by election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, state in-charge Vinod Tawde, and senior leader Mangal Pandey, reportedly offered 22 seats, while Chirag is said to have sought “no less than 30,” citing self-respect and the LJP-R’s 2024 Lok Sabha strike rate as justification.
“Talks were cordial but inconclusive,” a senior NDA insider told PatnaPress. “The BJP may return to Chirag with a revised offer tonight or tomorrow after internal consultations.”
लोजपा (रामविलास) के अध्यक्ष और केंद्रीय मंत्री @iChiragPaswan जी से आज @dpradhanbjp जी और @mangalpandeybjp जी के साथ बिहार चुनाव को लेकर चर्चा हुई। बिहार की प्रगति के लिए NDA सरकार आवश्यक है और इसके लिए एनडीए गठबंधन के सभी साथी संकल्पबद्ध हैं।@LJP4India pic.twitter.com/toUtJ1W8qw
— Vinod Tawde (@TawdeVinod) October 7, 2025
Chirag Paswan arrived in Patna around 10pm and will travel to his father and late Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s ancestral village, Sheharbanni (Khagaria), on Wednesday to mark his death anniversary.
According to sources, Chirag has insisted that the LJP-R be allotted at least two assembly seats within each of the five Lok Sabha constituencies it currently represents, aligning the seat-sharing formula with the party’s general election performance.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, chief of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and another NDA ally, has also demanded 15 seats and is camping in Delhi for talks. Manjhi has reportedly told BJP negotiators that his party needs at least eight wins to retain its status as a “provincial party” and has pressed for a seat allocation that ensures this threshold.
Both Chirag Paswan and Manjhi met Dharmendra Pradhan in separate rounds of discussions, which are expected to continue until a consensus is reached. One formula currently under consideration would see the JDU contest 101 seats, the BJP 100, LJP-R 26, and both HAM and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) eight each.
राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष सह केंद्रीय मंत्री आदरणीय श्री @iChiragPaswan जी के निर्देशानुसार बिहार विधानसभा चुनाव के लिए जमुई लोकसभा क्षेत्र से माननीय सांसद श्री अरूण भारती जी को चुनाव प्रभारी एवं प्रदेश अध्यक्ष श्री राजू तिवारी जी को सह चुनाव प्रभारी नियुक्त किया गया है।@ANI ||… pic.twitter.com/uJ3LXzYRWj
— Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) (@LJP4India) October 7, 2025
While the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) has signalled that its own seat-sharing arrangement is nearly finalised and could be announced within days, the NDA remains divided on allocation between its smaller partners.
The Election Commission of India announced on Monday that Bihar will vote in two phases — on November 6 and 11 — with counting on November 14. Nominations for the first phase open on October 10 and for the second on October 13.
Adding intrigue to the unfolding political drama, Chirag Paswan’s social media post following the poll announcement made no mention of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar or the NDA, instead reiterating his party’s slogan, “Bihar First, Bihari First.”
On Tuesday evening, Chirag appointed his brother-in-law and Jamui MP Arun Bharti as the LJP-R’s election in-charge and state president Raju Tiwari as co-in-charge, signalling that his party is preparing to contest vigorously — with or without complete clarity on seat distribution.
