NDA Rift in Bihar: Kushwaha's Revolt Over Seat-Sharing Shakes Alliance

This special report details the escalating crisis within Bihar's ruling NDA, focusing on the dissent of Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha over the seat-sharing arrangement. After a late-night meeting with top BJP leaders including Nityanand Rai and Samrat Chaudhary failed to pacify him, Kushwaha stated, 'This time, nothing is well in NDA'. The conflict stems from the allocation of the Mahua assembly seat to Chirag Paswan's LJP, a constituency Kushwaha had reportedly eyed for a family member. With the deadline for first-phase nominations approaching, Kushwaha's public expression of discontent and delay in announcing his party's candidates have exposed deep fissures within the alliance, prompting frantic negotiations by the BJP to hold the coalition together.