The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its decision to contest on 17 seats in Bihar, with its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner, Janata Dal (United) (JDU), contesting on 16 seats. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Chirag Paswan, will be contesting on five seats. Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM will fight one seat each.
The JD(U), under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, rejoined the NDA alliance in January, after an 18-month alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
In an NDA rally held in Aurangabad earlier this month, Kumar reaffirmed his commitment to the alliance, and said, “You (PM Modi) had come earlier as well, ‘par idhar hum gayab ho gaye the. Hum phir aapke saath hai (I disappeared (from NDA) for some time but now I am with you). I assure you that I will not go here and there. ‘Hum rahenge aap hi ke saath’…”
In the 2019 elections, the BJP and JDU had agreed to a 50:50 formula, each contesting on 17 seats, while the LJP, under Ram Vilas Paswan’s leadership, contested six. This alliance secured a remarkable win of 39 of the 40 seats, with only one seat going to the opposition.