Bihar NDA faces rift as Paras, Kushwaha disgruntled over seats

Tensions escalate within the Bihar NDA coalition following seat allocation for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with both Pashupati Paras and Upendra Kushwaha expressing dissatisfaction over the distribution of seats. The discord comes despite the recent seat agreement reached between NDA allies in Bihar.

The disagreement stems from the allocation of seats, particularly Upendra Kushwaha's discontent over receiving only one seat, Karakat, instead of the expected two. Kushwaha had sought seats from Karakat along with either Supaul or Sitamarhi but was allotted only the former, leading to apparent frustration within his party. His displeasure was evident during a press conference held at the BJP office, where he abstained from sending a party representative, sparking speculations and raising concerns within the political arena.

Under the seat agreement, Nitish Kumar led Janata Dal United will contest elections on 16 seats. At the same time, Bharatiya Janata Party will field its candidates on 17 seats, one seat more than JDU. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, both the parties had contested on equal numbers (17-17 seats).There are total 40 seats in Bihar. After distribution of 17 and 16 seats between Bharatiya Janata Party and JDU respectively, the remaining 5 seats have been given to Chirag Paswan's party, 1 to Jitan Ram Manjhi's party and 1 to Upendra Kushwaha's party.