Overview

• The NDA’s numeric split is set at BJP 101, JD(U) 101, LJP(RV) 29, and six each for RLM and HAM, but constituency-level allocations remain contested after a planned joint announcement was scrapped.
• The BJP’s first list covers 71 of its 101 seats, fielding Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary in Tarapur and Vijay Kumar Sinha in Lakhisarai, while longtime MLA and Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav was denied a ticket in Patna Sahib.
• Reports from JD(U) circles say Nitish Kumar objected to traditional party seats moving to LJP(RV), reflecting unresolved frictions over specific constituencies within the NDA.
• JD(U) faced visible unrest as MLA Gopal Mandal staged a dharna at Nitish Kumar’s residence and MP Ajay Kumar Mandal sought to resign, alleging exclusion from ticket consultations.
• The Opposition Mahagathbandhan has yet to finalise its seat-sharing, as new entrants like Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj release candidates and nomination cut-offs approach on October 17 and 20 for the two polling phases on November 6 and 11, with results on November 14.