Bihar polls: Chirag Paswan takes dig at Mahagathbandhan rift, says 'no friendly fights in politics'

He claimed the INDIA bloc has effectively given the NDA a walkover on several seats ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.

Paswan, whose party is contesting 29 seats as part of the NDA, said he had never seen a major alliance “on the verge of a split” during an election.

“If you are contesting against each other and targeting each other’s leaders, how can that not affect the rest of the seats?” he remarked.

The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with Monday being the last day to file nominations for the second phase.

The Mahagathbandhan partners have struggled to finalise seat-sharing, leading to clashes in several constituencies.

Earlier in the day, the RJD, led by Tejashwi Yadav, announced 143 candidates, including four seats where the Congress has already fielded its nominees, indicating a clear sign of discord within the alliance.

The seat-sharing formula within the Grand Alliance now stands as:

RJD: 143
Congress: 55
CPI(ML): 20
CPI: 6
CPM: 4
VIP: 15

However, the Congress has already announced candidates for 60 seats, exceeding the agreed number.

Paswan predicted the internal conflict would “cost Mahagathbandhan dearly” and strengthen the NDA’s position in key constituencies.