The Congress party has indicated it would be open to forming an electoral understanding with certain NDA allies—namely Chirag Paswan, Upendra Kushwaha and Jitan Ram Manjhi—for the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls, even as tensions over seat allocation persist within the NDA coalition.
Congress leaders framed the overture during internal deliberations, asserting that alliances will be determined by political viability rather than rigid ideological divides. The move comes amid ongoing reports of a deepening rift between the BJP and smaller NDA partners over how many seats each should contest in the two-phase election, scheduled for November 6 and November 11, with counting set for November 14.
A senior Congress functionary said the party’s stance stems from strategic necessity rather than opportunism: with its own influence weakened in many Bihar constituencies, accommodating smaller parties might help the opposition present a broader front. That calculation assumes that disillusioned NDA allies might be nudged to switch alignments if offered a more favourable deal.
Within the NDA, however, the picture remains fraught. The BJP is reported to have offered Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party around 26 seats along with positions in the Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha, though Paswan initially demanded as many as 40 seats. While he later scaled back that demand, he has insisted his party’s existing seats must be respected—an uncompromising stance that has stoked tensions. Paswan publicly denied any rift with the alliance, insisting that talks are progressing well.
Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha has demanded at least 15 seats, warning that failure to meet this threshold could lead his party to opt out of contesting, though he pledged continued support for NDA. Upendra Kushwaha is seeking 24 seats—a figure that, if accepted, would leave little for the BJP and JD in the remaining 164 constituencies.
Sources within the NDA say internal consensus has now been reached on seat sharing, with a formal announcement expected soon. The JD, which commands a major base in Bihar, has delegated the responsibility of negotiation to the BJP, signalling alignment among the alliance’s larger partners.
Meanwhile, the opposition INDIA bloc—led by RJD and including Congress and left parties—is also scrambling to finalise its own seat-sharing formula. Congress has approved around 23–25 candidates so far, confined largely to its traditional bastions. Delays in lockstep coordination with Mahagathbandhan allies complicate its ability to offset any erosion from defections by NDA partners.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has opened nominations for 121 seats in the first phase, triggering another wave of urgency across alliance coalitions. With the deadline set for October 17, parties have little time to adjust strategies.
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