Seat-sharing negotiations within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections have entered their final stretch, with both BJP and JD(U) expected to claim an equal number of seats. However, the bigger challenge before the alliance now is keeping smaller partners on board, as they demand a larger slice of the pie.

According to sources, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) [LJP(RV)] has pressed for nearly 40 seats, refusing to accept the 20-seat formula being discussed. A senior leader from the party, requesting anonymity, said, “We will not accept 20 seats as we will not contest less than 40 seats in the elections.” Even if Chirag eventually softens his stand, insiders suggest his party will not agree to fight fewer than 30 constituencies.

Similarly, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) has demanded 20 seats, with a party leader insisting, “My party would not settle for less than 20 seats. We should not be offered fewer seats than what LJP gets. We have four legislators while the LJP has none.”

On the other side, JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha has made it clear that Nitish Kumar’s party will not contest fewer than 100 seats. That automatically implies the BJP too will demand 100 seats or more. Meanwhile, Upendra Kushwaha, who heads the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, has not yet revealed his expectations but is said to be seeking a “respectable” number of constituencies.

Adding a twist to the equation, Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP)—currently aligned with the RJD-Congress Mahagathbandhan—is rumored to be reconsidering its options. If VIP crosses over to the NDA, the seat-sharing formula could witness another shuffle.

In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, JD(U) contested 115 seats while the BJP fought 110, with Nitish Kumar returning as Chief Minister despite his party’s tally slipping to 43 seats, compared to the BJP’s 74 victories. At the time, VIP, then part of NDA, contested 11 seats, while HAM was given 7 seats. The undivided LJP went solo on 135 seats, but won just one seat (Matihani). Its candidates, however, damaged JD(U) significantly, especially in 27 constituencies where Nitish’s party finished second after losing crucial votes to LJP contestants.