'Won't contest Bihar polls if…': NDA allies' seat-sharing tussle intensifies
What's the story
Ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi has issued a stern warning to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The former chief minister has demanded at least 15 seats for his party to contest. If not, he said HAM would not participate in the elections, but it will continue to stay with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) camp.
Remarks
'We have always supported the NDA'
"If we do not get 15 seats, we will not contest the elections. I feel insulted, and our people have been ignored. We have always supported the NDA; it is their duty to ensure we are respected," he said. "Fifteen seats will allow us to win 8-9, but if not, we may exercise our final option of leveraging our support across 60-70 constituencies to secure party recognition. I have no objection to Chirag [Paswan], but please save us from humiliation."
Poetic plea
Manjhi's poetic demand for seats
Both Manjhi and Paswan head Dalit-centric parties within the NDA. Manjhi had earlier hinted at his party's demands in the NDA seat-sharing talks by quoting legendary poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. He tweaked Dinkar's lines from the war poem Rashmirathi to convey his demand for 15 seats. The original poem asked for five villages, but Manjhi changed it to 15, saying, "Ho nyay agar to aadha do... HAMwahi khushi se khayenge."
Unresolved negotiations
Seat-sharing disputes within NDA
The seat-sharing disputes between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), led by Chirag Paswan, have added more uncertainty to the NDA camp. The LJP is demanding 40 of the 243 seats, but the BJP is willing to offer 25. Per India Today, Paswan has also staked claim to some of the BJP's sitting seats. He emphasized his party's 100% strike rate in the Lok Sabha elections, which saw it win all five seats it contested.
Alliance speculation
Possible seat allotments
All eyes will now be on the crucial meeting of NDA allies in Patna on Wednesday. The first round of seat-sharing discussions has already been concluded. According to India Today sources, the JD(U) could be given 101-102 seats, the BJP 100-101 seats, Paswan's party 24-25 seats, Manjhi's HAM 8-10 seats, and Upendra Kushwaha's party around 7 seats.