BJP to decide seat-sharing within NDA: Bihar Dy CM

Patna, June 2 (IANS) Amid rising demands from alliance partners over seat allocation in the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has clarified that the final seat-sharing formula within the NDA will be decided by the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Speaking to media persons in Munger on Monday, Choudhary said that many leaders make claims about contesting maximum seats, but the final decision will be taken only after discussions with alliance partners.

“The central BJP leadership will decide how many seats each NDA constituent party will contest. We smoothly managed seat-sharing during the Lok Sabha elections, and we’ll do the same for the assembly polls,” he said.

Choudhary’s remarks came a day after Arun Bharti, MP from Jamui and brother-in-law of LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, hinted that Chirag Paswan may himself contest from a general (unreserved) seat, emphasising that his leadership would boost the alliance's overall performance.

Many LJPRV leaders are claiming to contest at least 40 seats in the assembly elections.

In an attack, Samrat Choudhary also targeted RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, accusing him of surfacing only during elections.

"Lalu Yadav becomes visible only during elections, but history shows he loses every time. The people of Bihar have rejected him repeatedly,” Choudhary said.

Reiterating confidence in the NDA’s alliance and its electoral strategy, Choudhary added: "We have full faith in the people of Bihar. They will support the NDA under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar."

With alliances shaping up and claims emerging from different quarters, seat-sharing negotiations are expected to intensify in the coming months.

The BJP's central leadership will now play a crucial role in balancing alliance demands while maintaining internal cohesion within the NDA ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls.

In the 2020 Bihar Assembly election, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) contested alone and won only one seat, while in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the Chirag Paswan faction (LJPRV) contested five seats and won all seats.

--IANS

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