• Source:JND
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Bihar Assembly elections: Bihar Assembly elections are about two months away, and the discussions around seat-sharing have intensified within the two major alliances led by JDU and RJD.

The talks on seats are challenging for the alliances, as the expansion from the last elections has made the sharing more complex this time.

The ruling party is facing a major challenge to strike a balance between the two key allies, Chirag Paswan's LJP (RV) and Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM.

Earlier in 2020, Chirag contested alone, but is part of the NDA these elections. He has been demanding 40 seats out of a total of 243 seats based on the Lok Sabha 2024 performance, where his party registered an encouraging win of five seats.

Reports suggest that he is adamant to contest either 40 in alliance or 243 alone. Political analysts believe that Chirag's open criticism of the Bihar government on a selected issue was a hint at that. However, he has time and again clarified that his support for the NDA will continue till Narendra Modi is the prime minister.

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RJD-Congress to settle for fewer seats

On the other hand, the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan has recently expanded with two new parties: Pashupati Paras's RLJP and Hemant Soren's JMM. In 2020, the Mahagathbandhan had five parties comprising RJD, Congress, CPI-ML, CPIM and CPI.

Back then, RJD contested 144 seats, Congress contested 70 seats, CPI-ML fought on 19 seats, CPIM contested 4 seats and CPI contested on six seats.

After five years, JMM, RLJP, and Mukesh Sahni's VIP are part of the alliance. Sahni has asked for 50 seats and the post of the Deputy CM, according to a report by NDTV.

Sahni's demand will be a roadblock for the INDIA bloc as he contested on 11 seats in 2020 and had won only 4 seats. As the seat-sharing finalisation will take time, the RJD and Congress are most likely to settle for fewer seats as compared to what they contested in the 2020 elections.

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Despite alliance challenges, the INDIA bloc is trying to rally its banners behind to give a tight contest to the ruling NDA and prevent vote fragmentation.

Pashupati Paras, who is the uncle of Chirag Paswan, will split his votes in favour of the alliance, especially in Khagaria, the bastion of Paswan. JMM, on the other hand, is being accommodated because both Congress and RJD are part of its government in Jharkhand.