Ongoing Meetings Fail to Resolve Impasse
Parties in Bihar kept meeting in Delhi and Patna, but they couldn't wrap up agreements on sharing seats for the state assembly elections coming up soon, based on what officials and party representatives said.
The National Democratic Alliance, or NDA, put out its basic plan for seats on Sunday, giving the same number to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)). But fights over particular areas continued. On the other side, the opposition Grand Alliance, called Mahagathbandhan, was stuck in talks between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, which meant they couldn't kick off their campaigns properly with voting less than a month away.
Election Schedule and Historical Context
Voting in Bihar's assembly elections happens in two rounds on November 6 and 11, and results come out on November 14. The assembly has 243 seats, and it's always been a place where alliances change a lot. This current hold-up shows the usual tensions between partners in these groups.
NDA Seat Allocation Details
For the NDA, the BJP and JD(U) each got 101 seats in the deal. Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) was given 29 seats, and the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) along with Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) each received six. Vinod Tawde, who's handling Bihar for the BJP, told reporters that everyone in the alliance was okay with it. "All the NDA partners have gone along with this setup and are ready to stay in power," Tawde said in Patna.
Internal NDA Disputes Emerge
Still, people inside the NDA mentioned that arguments popped up about who gets tickets in certain spots. A news conference set for Monday got called off because of that. On Tuesday, JD(U) leaders gathered outside Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's house in Patna, pushing for tickets in specific areas. Police blocked off the street while they sat down in protest. One of them, Gopal Mandal, even plunked down on the ground outside to demand the ticket for Gopalpur.
Chirag Paswan shared on X that talks about exact seats were almost done. "With Modi ji and Nitish ji leading, all NDA groups are united and set," Paswan posted. "Bihar is ready for another NDA term." But sources pointed out fresh issues between JD(U) and Paswan's group over places like Sonbarsa and Rajgir. JD(U) held Sonbarsa last time, where Ratnesh Sada, a key helper to Nitish Kumar, is the current member. Paswan's side wants several seats that JD(U) has now, as per party folks.
The BJP tried to smooth things over, remembering how in 2020 Paswan ran on his own and hurt JD(U)'s numbers. Back then, Paswan put up 134 candidates, won just one, but cut into JD(U)'s wins enough that NDA barely scraped by.
Sanjay Kumar Jha from JD(U) said Nitish Kumar was fine with everything. "Nitish Kumar is completely on board," Jha told the press. "He'll hit the campaign trail for NDA." In a separate move, JD(U)'s Jai Kumar Singh quit the party after his Dinara seat went to the RLM.
Mahagathbandhan Negotiation Challenges
Over in the Mahagathbandhan, RJD and Congress talks dragged on even after sessions in Delhi. Tejashwi Yadav from RJD sat down with Congress leaders K.C. Venugopal and Krishna Allavaru on Sunday night. Then a follow-up with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge brought in Bihar Congress figures like Shakeel Ahmad Khan and Rajesh Ram.
Congress asked for 60 to 63 seats, lowering from their first demand of 70, but RJD only offered 54 to 58, according to people from both sides. In 2020, Congress took 70 seats and won 19, and got blamed for the alliance not taking power. RJD won 75 seats that year as the biggest single party and wants at least 130 this round.
Internal Drama in RJD
Things got messy on Monday when RJD boss Lalu Prasad Yadav handed out tickets to a few people at his Patna home while Tejashwi was away in Delhi. That included Sunil Singh for Parbatta and Narendra Kumar Singh for Matihani, both ex-JD(U) folks. But the symbols got pulled back later after Tejashwi stepped in, sources said.
Demands from Smaller Allies
Smaller groups made it even trickier. Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) wanted 40 seats but got offers of 12 to 18, including some where RJD people would run under VIP's symbol. Sahni also pushed for the deputy CM role if they win, per sources. The CPI(ML) asked for 35 to 40 seats, noting they won 12 out of 19 last time, and were offered 19 to 30. Others like CPI, CPM, JMM, and more were still waiting for their shares.
Statements from Alliance Leaders
Congress's Manoj Kumar said a decision was coming up. "We're talking it out, trusting our leaders fully," he told reporters. Krishna Allavaru, in charge of Bihar for Congress, stressed working together. "We're sorting this to build a solid government without any bad feelings," Allavaru said.
Mritunjay Tiwari, speaking for RJD, took a dig at NDA. "It's obvious things aren't smooth in NDA," Tiwari said, claiming BJP wants to shrink JD(U) after the vote.
Impact on Campaign Launches
These hold-ups meant neither side could really start campaigning hard. They told possible candidates to get ready for filing papers, with deadlines for the first phase approaching fast. The Election Commission released the final voter list on September 30, and no challenges were filed, the top election officer said.
Legal Developments Involving RJD Leaders
A court in Delhi on Monday listed Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and son Tejashwi as accused in a scam involving Indian Railways' catering arm, with charges to be set later. NDA plans to use corruption charges against the RJD family in campaigns, while RJD called it a political attack.
Activities of Smaller Parties and Defections
In other news, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party put out its second list of 65 candidates, making 116 total, but Kishor didn't name himself. Tej Pratap Yadav's Janshakti Janata Dal announced 21 candidates, with him running in Mahua. The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party said they'd go alone on 153 seats since NDA gave them nothing.
BJP brought in ex-RJD member Sangita Kumari and former Congress's Siddharth Saurav on Sunday. JD(U)'s Ajay Kumar Mandal wanted to quit over not getting a ticket.
Broader Political Shifts in Bihar
Bihar's politics often flip alliances. In 2020, NDA took 125 seats—BJP 74, JD(U) 43, others helping. Mahagathbandhan got 110, RJD leading with 75. Nitish Kumar formed government, switched to Mahagathbandhan in 2022, then back to NDA in 2024.
Seat deals in Bihar are always tough because of caste groups and local pulls. There are 7.4 crore voters, and the focus is on jobs, running the state, and graft. The Election Commission requires ads to be checked beforehand, and machine checks started Sunday.
Next Steps and Potential Resolutions
When reached, party leaders wouldn't talk about specific stuck seats. Officials mentioned more talks soon to sort it before filing closes.
Once fixed, alliances plan to release full candidate lists and shared promises. BJP said Amit Shah, the home minister, will campaign in Bihar October 16 to 18. If not settled, it could hurt their ground game in the split polls.