Bihar Assembly Elections 2025: NDA’s Blueprint for Victory Includes Seat Allocation and Health Concerns

Preparations are underway for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The NDA coalition is in the process of determining seat allocations. The Lok Sabha election formula will likely be mirrored in the Bihar election. Discussions are ongoing between Patna and Delhi. During the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP contested 17 seats, JDU 16, LJP 5, and HAM and Rashtriya Lok Morcha one seat each. The health of Nitish Kumar is also an integral part of the NDA’s electoral strategy. Seat distribution will be handled late in the process to avoid disputes, with possible swapping of seats previously lost in consecutive elections. The JDU is expected to contest more seats than the BJP in the assembly, possibly 102-103 seats compared to the BJP’s 101-102. The remainder of the approximately 40 seats will be shared amongst the Lok Janshakti Party, Hindustan Awam Morcha, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The LJP is likely to receive a substantial allocation. Caste-based equations are also being considered in seat distribution. The aim is to ensure representation from all castes. The NDA is also focusing on seat-by-seat strategy, and identifying potential dissenters. The NDA is carefully monitoring how the opposition uses Nitish Kumar’s health to their advantage. The BJP and JDU have a history of jointly contesting elections. In the 2010 Assembly elections, the JDU contested 141 seats, while the BJP contested 102. Before the 2015 elections, Nitish Kumar had broken away from the NDA. By 2020, the JDU and BJP had reunited, with the JDU contesting 115 seats and the BJP 110.