No rift in NDA, says Bihar BJP chief

IANS April 15, 2025 112 views

The Bihar BJP has firmly rejected rumors of internal rifts within the National Democratic Alliance. Party chief Dilip Jaiswal emphasized the unity between alliance partners, particularly addressing concerns raised by Jitan Ram Manjhi's seat allocation demands. Manjhi, while seeking 35-40 seats, maintains a positive relationship with the BJP, according to Jaiswal. The party also criticized the opposition's Mahagathbandhan as an unstable and mismatched political arrangement.

"Jitan Ram Manjhi is very happy - in fact, happier than us" - Dilip Jaiswal, Bihar BJP President
Patna, April 15: Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal on Tuesday dismissed speculation of cracks within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), asserting that there is no internal dispute.

Key Points

1

NDA remains strong despite seat negotiation tensions

2

Manjhi demands 35-40 seats for upcoming Bihar elections

3

BJP maintains alliance strictly with Chirag Paswan's LJP

4

Opposition Mahagathbandhan criticized as unstable

"Jitan Ram Manjhi is very happy - in fact, happier than us. We met this morning and everything is fine. There is absolutely no issue within NDA. We are contesting the Bihar elections with full strength," Jaiswal said.

This statement comes in the wake of Jitan Ram Manjhi, patron of Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) and a Union MSME Minister, demanding 35 to 40 seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, asserting that his party can secure 20 seats if given a fair chance.

Union Minister Manjhi reiterated his position that the Chief Minister would be decided after the elections, fuelling continued ambiguity within the alliance on leadership.

On Rashtriya Lok Jantatntrik Party (RLJP) chief Pashupati Kumar Paras quitting NDA, Jaiswal said the BJP's alliance is strictly with Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Chirag Paswan.

"Our alliance is not with that party. It's not our concern," he said on Paras' announcement to contest all 243 seats of Bihar independently.

On the opposition front, Jaiswal criticised Tejashwi Yadav's meeting with Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, branding the Mahagathbandhan as a "mismatched alliance".

"RJD and Congress are like frogs on a scale - neither wants the other to grow. Congress wants a bigger role, but RJD won't allow it. Their alliance won't make any real impact," he said.

Notably, after meeting Tejashwi, Kharge posted on X, "This time, change is certain in Bihar. Today we met the former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Mr Tejashwi Yadav, and discussed the strengthening of the Grand Alliance. In the coming elections, we will give the people of Bihar a strong, positive, just and welfare-oriented option. Bihar will be freed from BJP and its opportunistic alliance. Youth, farmers-labourers, women, backward, extremely backward and people of all other sections of society want the Grand Alliance government."

Jaiswal also asked West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to "improve" her habits, after the violence in her state against Waqf law.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Interesting how BJP is projecting unity while Manjhi keeps making demands. The seat-sharing drama will be worth watching next year! 🤔
P
Priya M.
Jaiswal's comments about Tejashwi's meeting seem defensive. If NDA is truly united, why bother attacking the opposition so much?
S
Sanjay D.
NDA has delivered stable governance in Bihar. All this talk of alliances is just political noise - what matters is development work on ground.
A
Anjali T.
The "frogs on a scale" analogy is actually quite funny 😂 But seriously, both alliances need to focus more on policies than political one-upmanship.
V
Vikram S.
Respectfully disagree with Jaiswal's assessment. The Grand Alliance seems to be gaining momentum, especially with youth and farmers. NDA shouldn't underestimate them.
N
Neha P.
Why is leadership still ambiguous? Voters deserve clarity before elections, not after. This "wait and see" approach doesn't inspire confidence.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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Tags:
Bihar Elections 2024 NDA Alliance Dilip Jaiswal Jitan Ram Manjhi BJP LJP Indian Politics
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