Overview

• Congress has pressed for about 70 seats, but party insiders indicate it may settle for 60–62 with a focus on stronger constituencies and possible seat swaps, with a deal eyed for early October.
• CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya urged a realistic approach, citing Congress’s 19 wins from 70 contests in 2020, and said his party seeks around 40 seats this time.
• Vikassheel Insaan Party has sought roughly 60 seats and a deputy chief minister’s post, adding to the arithmetic that RJD must balance as newer partners push for space.
• Negotiations have been slowed by the Special Intensive Revision agitation and the festival calendar, with allies expecting a clearer picture by the end of September or after Navratri.
• Alliance figures say there is no ambiguity about Tejashwi Yadav as the chief ministerial face, while the rival NDA moves to finalize an almost even BJP–JD(U) seat split of about 100–102 each this month.