Seat-sharing talks still underway: Upendra Kushwaha dismisses 'rumours' of rift within NDA

Patna, Oct 11 Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha on Saturday dismissed reports suggesting discontent among the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners over seat-sharing arrangements ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, asserting that discussions were still in progress.

The NDA is expected to make a formal announcement on seat distribution later in the day on Saturday. The alliance in Bihar comprises five key partners -- the BJP, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas) led by Chirag Paswan, HAM(S) led by Jitan Ram Manjhi, and RLM led by Kushwaha.

Speaking to reporters, Kushwaha clarified, "The reports in the media about consensus on seat sharing in the NDA, which show some seats being allotted to my party also, are incorrect. The discussion is ongoing. Based on the information provided by the Bharatiya Janata Party, further talks will continue in Delhi. The discussions are not yet complete. In Delhi, the dialogue will focus on how many seats are required."

He further said that his party would not disclose the number of seats it has demanded from the alliance and added that only the final decision would be made public.

Earlier in the day, Kushwaha also took to X to dismiss the media reports as baseless, terming them "rumours".

"Don't pay attention to rumours floating around. The talks are not yet concluded. Wait…! I don't know how the news is being circulated in the media. If someone is planting news, it's deceit, it's betrayal. You all stay vigilant like this," he wrote.

Meanwhile, according to sources, the NDA's ongoing negotiations have reached an understanding that the BJP and JD(U) will together contest around 200 to 203 seats, while the remaining 40 to 42 will be distributed among the three smaller allies.

As per the tentative arrangement, Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas) is likely to get 26 seats, Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) eight, and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) six.

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