Bihar elections: Chirag calls emergency meeting amid seat-sharing tensions

Amid rising tension within the ruling NDA over seat-sharing arrangements for the forthcoming Bihar Assembly elections, Union minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has convened an emergency meeting in Patna on Thursday to finalise its electoral strategy. Despite the urgency, however, Chirag insisted there was no discord within the alliance.

Speaking to reporters in Bihar's Khagaria on Wednesday, he said, "The news circulating about me based on sources is completely false and baseless. I am not upset with anyone. Seat-sharing issues in the NDA will be finalised soon."

The Bihar Assembly elections are set to beheld in two phases, on 6 and 11 November, with counting on 14 November.

Meanwhile, reports suggesting a potential alliance between Chirag’s party and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj were firmly denied by both sides. "This is not a fight for seats… there is a fight to loot Bihar. Every party wants to get more seats so that they can loot Bihar more. We do not have any alliance with any political party. Our alliance is with the people," Kishor stated on Wednesday, rejecting all speculation.

Despite public assurances, however, the NDA's internal friction has become increasingly visible. The BJP, which held an extensive meeting in Patna on Wednesday, also sought to downplay any issues.

On the other hand, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief and Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has already expressed concern over his party’s position in the alliance, urging NDA leaders to allocate HAM a respectable number of seats and warning the party may opt out of the polls otherwise.

"It will be a humiliation for me and my party if we are not given at least 15 seats in the Assembly polls. If we get 15, we can easily win at least 8-9 seats and become a recognised party," Manjhi told reporters.

Though a decade old, HAM remains unrecognised as a political party. "I have been helping the NDA for a long time. So, I am requesting the NDA leaders, not making a claim. My party would prefer not to contest the polls if we don't get a respectable number of seats. But I must make it clear that even if we don't contest, our party will keep working for the NDA partners," Manjhi added.

Senior BJP leaders, including Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and national general-secretary Vinod Tawde, met alliance members in Patna to discuss allocations and candidate selection.

Following the meeting, BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said, "Everything is fine within the NDA. The final decision about seat-sharing and candidates will be taken at the party’s parliamentary board meeting."

Sources within the NDA suggest the JD(U) and BJP are likely to contest 102 and 101 seats, respectively. Chirag’s party, which earlier accepted a 20–22 seat share, is now pushing for an additional 25 seats. According to a senior LJP (RV) leader, the party is aiming for at least 45 seats in total.