News18 Hindi reported that differences have emerged within the NDA over four Assembly constituencies — Tarapur, Sonbarsa, Rajgir, and Morwa. These seats have become the new flashpoints between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Janata Dal (United), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Disagreement over Tarapur seat
The most contentious issue appears to be the Tarapur seat, currently associated with BJP state president and Depuy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who is considered the party’s key face in Bihar. The BJP has been preparing to field Choudhary from Tarapur, but Nitish Kumar reportedly wants the seat to remain under the JD(U) quota.
Sensing the Chief Minister’s displeasure, the BJP is said to be considering alternate constituencies for Samrat Choudhary, including Patna’s Kumhrar or Patna Sahib, as part of its Plan B, the report said.
Chirag Paswan factor behind Nitish’s discontent
The report added that Nitish’s discontent also stems from the three seats allocated to Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) — Sonbarsa, Rajgir, and Morwa. Nitish is reportedly keen on reclaiming these constituencies for the JD(U).
The situation escalated after Nitish, late Sunday night, handed over the party ticket for Sonbarsa to minister Ratnesh Sada, reaffirming JD(U)’s claim on the seat. This move indicates that the chief minister is unwilling to back down.
NDA seat-sharing formula
The BJP and JD(U) will contest on 101 seats each, LJP (Ram Vilas) — 29 seats, and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) along with Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) — six seats each.
