Sitting MPs may create trouble for NDA candidates of Bihar in LS poll 2024.

Patna, March 21, 2024: As campaigning for the 2024 Lok Sabha election heats up in Bihar, several disgruntled NDA MPs are poised to contest independently or switch loyalties—threatening to split the ruling alliance’s vote base.

During the 2019 elections, the NDA (then comprising BJP, JD-U, and LJP) swept 39 to 40 seats in Bihar. This time, despite the inclusion of HAM-S and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) in the bloc, the alliance faces turbulence as many sitting MPs have been denied tickets or sidelined.

NDA’s Key rebel leaders and flashpoints :

Vijay Kumar Manjhi (Gaya)—The 2019 JD-U MP has been edged out after the seat was allotted to HAM-S patron Jitan Ram Manjhi. With RJD also fielding Kumar Sarvjeet, Vijay Manjhi is likely to enter the fray as an independent, risking a three-cornered contest.

Mahabali Singh (Karakat)—Having won on a JD-U ticket in 2019, Singh is resisting the BJP’s decision to field Upendra Kushwaha and has vowed to contest “at any cost.”

Rama Devi (Sheohar)—A three-time BJP MP, Rama Devi was displaced after the seat went to JD-U, which is set to nominate Lovely Anand.

Pashupati Kumar Paras (Hajipur)—The RLJP chief, who recently resigned from the Union Cabinet after being denied seats for his party, is expected to contest Hajipur—long considered his stronghold. Four other RLJP MPs (Prince Raj, Mahboob Ali Kaiser, Chandan Singh, Veena Devi) have also been denied tickets, with some in talks with Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) faction.

Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi (Darbhanga/Madhubani)—The former JD-U national general secretary quit the party over Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s alliance flip, signaling plans to either join RJD or contest as an independent.

Stakes for NDA:

The growing list of rebels—many of them seasoned MPs—threatens to fragment the NDA vote share in key constituencies, Political observers say these dissidents could play spoiler roles, particularly in seats where victory margins were barrow in 2019.

Polling for Bihar’s 40 Lok Sabha seats will be held across multiple phases beginning April 19.

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EOM.