Bihar election: Fissures deepen in NDA as Chirag, Jitan Ram turn up the heat

The BJP-led NDA is facing a serious crisis in Bihar after seat-sharing talks hit a roadblock, with two of its key allies — Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi — openly flexing their political muscle.

The growing rift threatens to erode the alliance’s crucial Dalit vote base at a critical juncture. Political observers say the divide within the NDA has widened into a real threat. Together, Paswan and Manjhi wield influence over more than 8 per cent of Bihar’s Dalit electorate — a decisive bloc in a closely contested election.

Both leaders have posted cryptic but pointed messages on social media, demanding a “respectable deal” within the NDA. Chirag Paswan, who calls himself 'Modi's Hanuman' invoked the legacy of his late father Ram Vilas Paswan in a post on X, writing: “Papa always used to say — ‘Do not commit a crime, do not endure a crime. If you want to live, learn to die; learn to fight at every step'."

Ram Vilas Paswan, a veteran Dalit leader, had also served as Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution in both Modi cabinets.

But Chirag now faces an additional challenge from his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who split from the LJP to form the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP). Paras has announced that his party will field candidates against Chirag’s LJP (Ram Vilas) — a move he describes as retribution for the BJP’s decision to accommodate Chirag in 2024.

Paras, who resigned from the Modi cabinet last year in protest, has vowed to ensure the “crushing defeat” of candidates supported by his nephew.

Analysts believe that such a split in the Paswan vote could benefit the INDIA bloc and seriously weaken the NDA’s prospects in several constituencies.

HAM (S) founder and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has also signalled growing unease within the NDA bloc. In a poetic post on X, he paraphrased lines from Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s Rashmirathi to demand 15 seats for his party:

“If there is justice, then give half; if there is any obstacle, then give only 15 villages... Keep your entire land; we (HAM) will happily eat what we get, and not raise weapons against our kin.”

Manjhi’s post, laced with symbolism, has been widely interpreted as a warning to the BJP.

Sources claimed while HAM is demanding between 15 and 18 seats, the BJP is reportedly willing to offer only seven or eight. Chirag has sought 40 to 50 seats, but the BJP’s proposal stands at around 20. Both the BJP and JD(U) are keen to contest 103 seats each.

With seat-sharing talks on and both allies airing grievances in public, the NDA faces an acid test of unity in Bihar, and the looming risk of a fractured Dalit vote that could alter the state’s political arithmetic.