NDA’s seat sharing deal puts Nitish’s grip to test?

The JD(U) and BJP contesting an equal number of ACs is a first in the four assembly elections the two parties have contested together in the state. More than anything it was seen as a weakening of Nitish Kumar's bargaining position within the NDA, though he remains the chief ministerial candidate of the NDA in the state.

- Arun Kumar

To be sure, Nitish Kumar becoming the chief minister after the 2020 elections in itself was more than awkward, as the JD(U) had just 43 MLAs in the assembly compared to the BJP’s 74 despite the former contesting 115 ACs while the latter contested only 110.

One of the biggest reasons behind the JD(U)’s poor showing was the LJP putting up 113 candidates against it despite being a part of the NDA at the centre. It only put up six candidates against the BJP. There were 64 ACs where the LJP polled more votes than the victory margin in 2020 and the JD(U) lost in 27 of them.

These historical facts, the seat sharing formula in the 2025 elections, more than one anecdotal account of growing dissension within the JD(U)’s rank and file, and the JD(U) not releasing any of its candidates’ names until Tuesday evening has raised serious questions about how united the JD(U) is in these elections.

At least one Lok Sabha MP from the JD(U) - Ajay Kumar Mandal from Bhagalpur - has written publicly to Kumar offering to resign because of alleged non consultation in distribution of tickets and also said that he was not being allowed to meet Kumar. Kumar has been keeping indifferent health for some time, his public appearances and media interactions have been rare and there is growing speculation that he is not as hands on as he used to be visa-vis not just the public campaign but also the functioning of the party.