Patna, Sep 3 (IANS) Preparations have picked up pace in the NDA camp ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, with seat-sharing discussions now entering a crucial stage. Leaders of the five alliance partners — the BJP, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha — are engaged in intense brainstorming over the distribution of the 243 Assembly seats. HAM patron and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has openly placed his demand before the allies.

“If the constituent parties of the NDA have sympathy for us, then our demand will definitely be fulfilled,” Jitan Ram Manjhi said, adding that HAM must be allotted at least 20 Assembly seats in order to secure recognition as a full-fledged party.

His statement underlines the growing tug-of-war within the NDA over seat distribution, with each party keen to secure a stronger footing in the alliance ahead of the Assembly polls.

With the Bihar Assembly elections drawing closer, the biggest challenge for the NDA remains striking a fine balance in seat-sharing among its allies the BJP, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), HAM, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

In the 2020 Assembly elections, the HAM contested on 7 seats and won 4. This time, HAM has tripled its demand to 20 seats, a move that poses a major hurdle for the BJP in adjusting the distribution.

The situation has grown more complex as LJP (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti publicly asserted that his party will settle for nothing less than a respectable share exceeding 43 seats.

Amid these mounting demands, a high-level BJP strategy meeting is currently underway in New Delhi, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Those in attendance include BJP state President Dilip Jaiswal, Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Organisation General Secretary Bhikhubhai Dalsaniya, and Nagendra Nath.

Party insiders say that September will be a decisive month for the NDA, as formal distribution of seats is yet to be finalised.

The leadership is expected to iron out the differences and present a united front ahead of the polls, but negotiations remain tense.

–IANS

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