Bihar Polls: NDA Gains Upper Hand as Mahagathbandhan Faces Internal Seat-Sharing Clash

Patna: With Bihar Assembly elections scheduled in two phases on November 6 and 11, the political battle is shaping up as a fierce contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). However, analysts suggest the NDA may have gained an early advantage due to internal disagreements within the opposition camp over seat allocation.

The Mahagathbandhan, comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), Communist Party of India (CPI), CPI-ML Liberation, and CPI-M, has reportedly fielded candidates against each other in at least 12 constituencies, raising concerns about potential vote splitting.

Notable clashes include:

Congress vs RJD: Narkatiaganj, Vaishali, Kahalgaon, Sikandra, Sultanganj, and Warsaliganj.

Congress vs CPI: Bachhwara, Raja Pakar, Bihar Sharif, and Kargahar.

RJD vs VIP: Babubarhi and Chainpur.

These overlapping candidacies reflect the Mahagathbandhan’s failure to finalize a cohesive seat-sharing arrangement, with reports suggesting that Congress and VIP demanded 70 and 50 seats, respectively, while RJD sought to retain the majority of its strongholds. Left parties, citing their past electoral performance — including CPI-ML winning 12 of 19 seats contested in 2020 — also demanded a larger share, further complicating negotiations.

Political experts argue that this discord undermines the alliance’s credibility, potentially confusing voters and strengthening the NDA’s prospects, particularly in constituencies where opposition votes may now split.

Union Minister and LJP chief Chirag Paswan echoed this sentiment, describing the internal contest as a “walkover” for the NDA.

“I have never seen such a thing in my life that such a big alliance is on the verge of ruins,” Paswan said in Patna. “If the people of Mahagathbandhan are in this delusion that they can field multiple candidates from the same seat, then they should know that there’s no such thing as a ‘friendly fight.’ But now the Mahagathbandhan has given us a walkover even on many seats which seemed challenging to us.”