The alliance’s agreed formula calls for both JD and the BJP to contest 101 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats each, while Lok Janshakti Party has been allotted 29, and Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha six seats apiece. That arrangement, formalised in recent days, has triggered tensions within JD.
According to insiders, Kumar conveyed his concerns to acting party president Sanjay Jha and Union Minister Lalan Singh, instructing them to reopen talks with BJP. His key grievance is that at least six seats—previously held by JD—have been ceded to LJP. He views that as an erosion of his party’s core territorial interests. In one exchange, he reportedly questioned senior JD leaders for failing to negotiate strongly with the BJP leadership.
Kumar has also signalled willingness to field independent or alternative candidates in constituencies allocated to other allies, raising the spectre of internal contestation that could undermine collective NDA discipline. Some party veterans and regional leaders echo his unease, accusing Jha, Lalan Singh and other negotiators of prioritising personal interests over party strength.
Discontent has surfaced in dramatic form. JD MLA Gopal Mandal staged a sit-in outside Kumar’s official residence, demanding a ticket after being sidelined in the distribution. Police forcibly removed Mandal after hours of protest, a vivid indicator of brewing revolt within party ranks. Meanwhile, JD MP Ajay Mandal has submitted a letter seeking permission to resign over disagreements with the ticket-allocation process.
Allies have not remained silent. HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi and RLM’s Upendra Kushwaha have publicly expressed dissatisfaction with being fixed only six seats each—far fewer than they had hoped. Neither has indicated an intention to break ranks, but the grievances complicate efforts to present a united front.
From the BJP side, some leaders have warned against complacency. Union Minister Giriraj Singh cautioned that overconfidence and reliance on outdated caste strategies could backfire, noting that BJP’s concessions to allies in the seat distribution strategy might undercut its own electoral momentum.
The seat-sharing deal itself appears to have stumbled before formalisation. A joint press conference to announce the arrangement was cancelled after both BJP and JD failed to resolve differences over constituency allocations. Senior BJP figures including Dharmendra Pradhan, Nityanand Rai and state Transport Minister Nitin Nabin visited JD MP Sanjay Jha’s residence to negotiate but left without agreement.
NDA leadership has attempted to project harmony. Jha and other party officials have publicly claimed the distribution was made in a “cordial manner,” and that all pact partners accepted it. But behind closed doors, JD insiders say Kumar’s authority within his party has been weakened, with suggestions that some senior JD members had preemptively committed to the formula.