NDA's Unified Front: Candidate Announcement for Bihar Elections Looms

The ruling NDA is set to announce its candidates for the Bihar assembly elections, emphasizing unity amidst seat-sharing arrangements. BJP and JD(U) will contest on 101 seats each, while smaller allies get the remaining 41. Discontent exists among some allies, but leaders assure a harmonious coalition.

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will reveal its candidates for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections on Monday evening, according to state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal. Dismissing any internal rifts, Jaiswal emphasized that the coalition stands united despite the recent seat-sharing arrangement announcement.

Jaiswal assured that following the existing seat-sharing plan, candidates from all NDA affiliates, including the BJP, would be disclosed soon. He likened the five state constituents of the NDA to the 'Panch Pandavas,' expressing confidence in their ability to collectively secure a commanding victory in the polls.

The seat distribution includes Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and the BJP each running in 101 seats. The remainder of the 243 seats will be allocated to smaller allies: Union minister Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas) on 29 seats, while Union ministers Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM and RLM of Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha will contest six seats each. Despite some discontent among the allies, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha confirmed the arrangement was decided with mutual agreement, expressing a strong belief in forming a majority government.

(With inputs from agencies.)