The BJP was on Monday forced to put off releasing its candidate list for Bihar following fresh disagreements with allies over seats, just a day after claiming the seat allocations had been finalised in a “cordial atmosphere”.

A joint media address by NDA leaders, scheduled for 4pm in Patna to showcase unity and release each ally’s candidate list, was cancelled abruptly without explanation.

Dharmendra Pradhan, Union education minister and the BJP’s election minder for Bihar, had announced the seat shares on Sunday evening, claiming all the allies were on board.

Sources said the differences had arisen mainly between the BJP and the JDU over the “quality” (winnability) of some of the seats.

Certain seats the JDU had contested the last time have either been claimed by the BJP or allotted to some other NDA ally. Privately, several JDU leaders accused the BJP of cornering most of the “quality” seats.

“Talks are on with the JDU leadership and some other allies, and the issue will be resolved soon,” a BJP leader said from Patna.

This is the first time that the JDU, led by chief minister Nitish Kumar, has not been allotted more seats than the BJP. The two parties will contest from 101 constituencies each for the 243-member Bihar Assembly.

The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has been allotted 29 seats while the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) have got six seats each.

Sources had on Sunday said a JDU request for one more seat than the BJP — as a token recognition of its seniority — had been turned down.

The rancour became visible when former JDU minister Jai Kumar Singh resigned from the party, having learnt that Dinara, a seat he had won in the past, had been allotted to the RLM.

“I have served as an MLA for three consecutive terms and managed four ministries…. Had the seat gone to the BJP or the LJP, it might have been acceptable,” he told reporters. “But the seat has been given to the RLM, whose candidate here has little influence among the Rajput community.”

JDU insiders said they were talking to the BJP and RLM leaderships to get back Dinara, and indicated similar problems with certain other seats.

“Our Delhi-based leaders seemed to have come under pressure and given away many of our traditional seats to the BJP. Talks are on and we are hopeful of getting them back,” a JDU politician said.

The HAM and the RLM, too, indicated they were upset with their small shares but asserted they would remain in the NDA.

“We demanded 15 seats but got only 6. We are upset, but we will not oppose the NDA’s decision. We will move forward with whatever we have got,” Union minister and HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi told reporters.

RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, in a message to party leaders and workers, acknowledged their likely disappointment and urged understanding, citing “compulsion”.

He shared a cryptic Hindi poem on X, hinting at betrayal. “Today, the clouds conspired again; it rained right where my home was…,” the post said.

Tej to contest

RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav will contest the Bihar elections from Mahua as his newly-floated party, Janshakti Janta Dal (JJD), announced candidates for 21 seats on Monday.

Tej, a former minister in the state government, floated the party after his father expelled him from the RJD in May.