Upendra Kushwaha's first reaction on Bihar logjam after meeting Amit Shah: 'Hope tensions...'

Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday met NDA chairperson Amit Shah amid logjam over seat-sharing ahead of Bihar polls. After the meeting, Kushwaha said there were some issues and uncertainties in the alliance during discussions in Patna, but now the meeting has taken place.

He expressed confidence that the NDA government will be formed in Bihar. Kushwaha stated that they deliberated with Amit Shah and hope there will be no difficulties ahead. He said that discussions were also held regarding the Mahua seat, where he intends to field his son.

Earlier, Kushwaha expressed concerns over the alliance’s internal dynamics by stating "all is not well" in the NDA after his meeting with top BJP leaders failed to dissolve contentions. Following this, Amit Shah invited him to Delhi to hold discussions over the prevailing issues. 

"I am going to Delhi. Some pondering needs to be done on the decisions that are being made in the NDA. I am going to Delhi to hold talks on the same. I'm hopeful that everything will be fine," he said while talking to the reporters.

Tussle over Mahua seat 

The friction stems from a disagreement over seat allocation, particularly concerning the Mahua Assembly constituency. Originally, the seat was reportedly earmarked for Kushwaha. However, new reports suggest it may be allocated to Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), sparking visible discontent.

Sources reveal that Upendra Kushwaha is determined to field his son, Deepak Prakash Kushwaha, from Mahua and has already begun discussions with his supporters.  

JDU releases first list

Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United (JDU) on Wednesday announced its first list of 57 candidates for the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025. This announcement comes amid ongoing tensions within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Notably, the JDU has named candidates for five constituencies that were allocated to Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).

Some of the prominent names in the list include Ratnesh Sada from Sonbarsa, Vidyasagar Nishad from Morwa, Dhumal Singh from Ekma, and Kaushal Kishore from Rajgir.