Announcements within a day or two: BJP’s Dilip Jaiswal on NDA seat‑sharing in Bihar

New Delhi: As the Bihar Assembly elections draw near, political developments are gaining pace, especially within the NDA, with BJP’s Bihar State President Dilip Jaiswal on Friday stating that the alliance’s seat-sharing arrangement would be announced imminently.

“Everything will be finalised soon; seat announcements will be made within a day or two. I have already said that the NDA has begun the election with strong unity, and there are no issues left, whether it is seat-sharing or candidate announcements,” Jaiswal told reporters in Patna.

His comments aim to dispel speculation surrounding internal friction over seat-sharing within the alliance, which comprises the BJP, JD(U), HAM, RLJP, and other smaller parties.

JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan also reiterated the alliance’s unity and said all seat-sharing decisions had already been made.

“Everything has been decided. Please wait for the joint announcement. There is no confusion anywhere. Discussions between the five constituent parties are complete. This is not unexpected; whenever elections have been held after the Model Code of Conduct is enforced, seat-sharing decisions have followed. The announcement will be made soon,” Ranjan said.

He further stressed that the NDA is well-prepared and confident of returning to power.

“We have made up our minds to achieve our goal with full strength. The blessings of the people are with us. The next government will be formed by the NDA, and Nitish Kumar will be the next Chief Minister,” he asserted.

In a direct swipe at the opposition, Ranjan added: “This is NDA, not the Mahagathbandhan, where constituent parties try to exert pressure until the last minute. Just yesterday, top Congress leaders reportedly refused to meet Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. The Left, including CPI(ML), and parties like VIP are already voicing rebellion. Everything here is completely normal, and with the upcoming seat-sharing announcement, the picture will be clear.”

Meanwhile, the nomination process for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections began on Friday, with candidates filing papers for 121 seats across 18 districts. Voting for this phase is scheduled for November 6, and districts going to the polls include Gopalganj, Siwan, Patna, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Nalanda, Darbhanga, and others.

The elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with counting on November 14.

IANS