New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Sunday announced its seat-sharing formula for next month’s Bihar Assembly elections, allocating 101 of the 243 seats each to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), and the remainder to smaller allies, including the LJP-Ram Vilas, the HAM, and the RLM.

As part of the deal, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas will fight on 29 seats, while Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Union Minister and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) will contest elections on 6 seats each.

According to credible sources, the LJP-Ram Vilas will field its candidates in constituencies like Gaya, Fatuha and also Bakhtiyarpur, the birthplace of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Meanwhile, the BJP core committee meeting is underway to discuss and finalise the names of candidates for the two-phase Bihar elections. A formal announcement of the complete NDA seat-sharing arrangement is expected soon, after the meeting.

As per information shared by top sources privy to the seat-sharing deal, the LJP is likely to contest on 29 seats, including Bakhri, Sahibpur Kamal, Tarapur, Rosra, Raja Pakar, Lalganj, Hayaghat, Gaighat, Ekma, Marhaura, Agiaon, Obra, Arwal, Gaya, Hisua, Fatuha, Danapur, Brahmpur, Rajgir, Kadwa, Sonbarsa, Balrampur, Hisua, Govindpur, Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Makhdoom, Kasba, Sugauli, and Morwa.

The seats on which Manjhi’s HAM is likely to field its candidates include Tekari, Kutumba, Atri, Imamganj, Sikandra and Barachatti.

Kushwaha’s RLM is expected to contest on the seats of Sasaram, Dinara, Ujiarpur, Mahua, Bajpatti and Madhubani.

The election to the 243-member Bihar Assembly will be conducted in two phases. Polling for the first phase, covering 121 seats, will be held on November 6. The remaining 122 constituencies will go to the polls in the second phase on November 11. Counting will be held on November 14.

–IANS

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