- By Akansha Pandey
- Thu, 04 Sep 2025 04:28 PM (IST)
- Source:Jagran News Network
As the Bihar Assembly Elections draw closer, alliance politics is once again taking center stage. NDA allies, including Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), are no longer happy in the supporting role. These parties are now demanding a bigger share of the pie, creating a risk of upsetting the balance within the NDA.
Political analysts believe that after an encouraging win of five Lok Sabha seats in 2024, Chirag Paswan is now demanding 40 out of the 243 assembly seats. He has also warned that if his demand isn't met, his party will contest all 243 seats on its own. In recent weeks, Chirag has given several such hints while talking to the media and has shown an independent stance on various issues. However, he has also made it clear that his support for the NDA will continue as long as Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, Jitan Ram Manjhi, the chief of another NDA ally, HAM, has laid claim to all the seats in the Gaya and Aurangabad districts, where his party is considered to have a strong local voter base. He also claims that the NDA cannot win without his party's support.
According to political experts, the biggest challenge for the NDA is to keep the alliance united while managing the ambitions of its partners. If the NDA fails to meet its allies' demands, these parties could decide to fight the election separately, which would directly hurt the NDA's chances.
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On the other side, the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar is also gearing up for the upcoming election. The parties in this alliance are busy making their own strategies and are fully relying on the support of the youth and their traditional Muslim-Yadav vote bank. If the NDA is unable to manage its allies, the Mahagathbandhan could directly benefit from it. Recently, Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav also tried to create a positive atmosphere for their alliance through a 'Voter Rights March', and both leaders claim that the people of Bihar are in the mood for a change this time.
Experts who understand Bihar's politics also believe that complex alliances have always been a unique feature of the state. History shows that alliance governments have always played a key role in deciding the state's direction and future. The political journey of the state's Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, is a big example of this. In such a situation, the challenges for the NDA seem to be growing.
