Less than a month before the Bihar elections, Chirag Paswan remains firm on his demand for 35 seats

With less than a month to go before the high-stakes assembly elections in Bihar, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti (Ram Vilas) Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan is firm on his demand for 35 seats.

Hectic talks and seat-sharing negotiations are underway between the alliances, with political parties making all possible efforts to secure a greater share of seats.

Discussions on the seat sharing agreement are also continuing within the NDA camp. Paswan said the talks were still in their early stages and declined to comment.

He said it would be premature to make any announcements before a final decision was made. “Until things are completely finalized, there is no point in saying or announcing anything… Nothing can be said until a final decision is taken. The talks are still at a very early stage and everything will be shared at the right time,” he said, News18 reported.

The NDA – comprising the BJP, JD(U), LJP(RV) and smaller allies like HAM(S) – is engaged in intense seat-sharing discussions. The first round of discussions took place on Sunday October 5, while the second will likely take place midweek.

The vote for the election of the 243 members of the Assembly will take place on November 6 and 11. The result will be announced on November 14.

In 2020, the JDU contested 115 seats and the BJP 110, while the VIP (then in the NDA) fought 11 and the HAM(S) seven. The LJP alone contested 135 seats, hurting the JDU’s prospects in 27 constituencies, although it won only one. The BJP emerged stronger with 74 seats against 43 for the JDU.

Buoyed by its performance in the Lok Sabha in 2024 – winning all five seats it contested and securing over 6 per cent of the vote – the party is pushing for 35 seats in the Assembly.