The NDA leaders announced seat-sharing in Bihar ahead of high-voltage Lok Sabha elections scheduled to take place in a few weeks. BJP leader Vinod Tawde announced that the BJP will contest 17 Lok Sabha seats, JD(U) 16, LJP(Ram Vilas) five, two other parties one each. Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha on one seat each, he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party to contest 17 seats including Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Aurangabad, Madhubani, Araria, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Maharajganj, Saran, Ujiarpur, Begusarai, Nawada, Patna Sahib, Pataliputra, Arrah, Buxar and Sasaram. Meanwhile, the BJP decided to leave Sheohar for the JDU. The LJP also parted ways with Nawada for the BJP. The JDU left Gaya and Karakat for the HAM and the RLM respectively.
The Janata Dal-United to contest 16 seats including Valmiki Nagar, Sitamarhi, Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Madhepura, Gopalganj, Siwan, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Nalanda, Jahanabad and Sheohar.
The Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) to contest 5 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar including Vaishali, Hajipur, Samastipur, Khagaria and Jamui. The Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) to contest only the Gaya seat while Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) will fight the Karakat seat.
Voting in Bihar to take place in 7 phases
Bihar will head to polls in all seven phases of the polling of votes in the Lok Sabha elections. Here is a list of constituencies that will head to polls in phases:
- Phase 1: Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada and Jamui.
- Phase 2:Kishanganj, Banka, Bhagalpur, Purnia and Katihar
- Phase 3: Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura and Khagaria
- Phase 4: Darbhanga, Ujiarpur, Samastipur, Begusarai and Munger
- Phase 5: Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran and Hajipur
- Phase 6: Valmiki Nagar, Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Vaishali, Gopalganj, Siwan and Maharajganj
- Phase 7: Nalanda, Patana Sahib, Pataliputra, Arrah, Buxar, Sasaram, Karakat and Jahanabad
ALSO READ | Bihar: NDA announces seat-sharing deal, BJP gets 17 seats, JDU 16 and LJP 5
