By Zee Media Bureau,Zee News

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As Bihar heads into assembly elections, political tempers are rising by the day. On Tuesday, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan issued yet another veiled warning to the BJP–JDU alliance. Stressing his electoral influence, he remarked, “I’m like salt in vegetables… can affect 20,000 to 25,000 votes in every constituency.”In an interview with NDTV, Paswan made it clear that he expects a fair share in seat distribution. “I want a decent number of seats… I have a figure in mind, and I want quality seats,” he said. However, he added, But I would not like to disclose those in a public forum. That would be unethical for a coalition partner.Paswan also pointed out that the BJP-led NDA has not yet formally begun discussions on seat-sharing.He is pushing hard for a larger share of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats. In the 2020 election, the undivided LJP, led then in the aftermath of Ram Vilas Paswan’s death, managed to win only one of the 135 seats it contested. However, fortunes changed in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, when Chirag’s faction of the party swept all five constituencies it fought.The Mahagathbandhan and the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters. With only a few weeks to go before the official poll date announcement, both alliances have failed to secure a seat-sharing deal. (Also Read: Congress Poses Seat-Sharing Challenge For RJD; Demands 70 Seats)Seat-Sharing Challenge In MahagathbandhanOn the other hand, in the 2020 assembly polls, the Congress contested 70 seats but won only 19 seats. In the 2015 Bihar Assembly Elections, Congress had contested 41 seats and won 27. Notably, while the RJD was the single largest party, its failure to form a government then was attributed to the Congress party’s abysmal performance. In the 2020 polls, the RJD has bagged 75 seats of the total 144 it contested. Now, Congress has once again demanded 70 seats from Tejashwi Yadav, exuding confidence of strong performance on at least 27 seats and a tight contest on the rest, said reports.