Kushwaha formed his Rashtriya Lok Samata Party in 2013 and Manjhi formed his Hindustani Awam Morcha in 2014.

LJP sources said they were not ready to give Jamui and Chakai to HAM(S), which wants those seats because they are represented by JD(U) rebels in the Manjhi camp, Ajay Pratap Singh and Sumit Kumar Singh, sons of former minister Narendra Singh.

The five-phase elections in Bihar will start on October 12 and counting of votes will be held on November 8.

Although the BJP has succeeded in dividing the Opposition, with the AIADMK and the BJD refusing floor coordination with anti-NDA parties, the Samajwadi Party’s decision to contest the election against the JD(U)-RJD in Bihar will finally help the saffron party. Describing HAM and RLSP as “family”, he said, “There is no reason-number of seats or anything else-due to which LJP would part ways with the BJP”.

The NDA maintains that the Nitish Kumar alliance with Lalu would prove to be the biggest reason for the undoing of the Janata Parivar, something that resonated in the words of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday. Under the deal, the JD-U and the RJD were given 100 seats each, while 40 seats came to the Congress’ share.

After late night parleys with the BJP President Amit Shah, LJP MP Chirag Paswan said, “There is no anger but some discontent…”

LJP and RLSP chiefs have reservation over the names of a few candidates which BJP or HAM may field but the BJP does not find the condition acceptable.

Shah expressed confidence that the NDA will bag over 185 seats in the polls.

Sources said the BJP will complete the process of ticket distribution by September 19.

Manjhi was said to be unhappy after he was offered 13-15 seats by the BJP and sought to draw a parity with Paswan’s LJP, which was tipped to get around 40 seats. In earlier negotiations, Mr Manjhi had reportedly pointed out that Mr Paswan is being over-compensated because he did not win a single seat in the last Bihar election. The fact that we are the alliance partners for Bihar elections means that the BJP needs us as much as we need the BJP. “With such an ally, he (Nitish Kumar) is promising a crime-free Bihar”, he added. He said that BJP ruled states are moving fast on the track of development, the people of the states are fully satisfied with the welfare schemes run by our government in the respective states but Bihar is still lagging behind compared to the development of other states of the country.

“Ram Vilas Paswan ji a leader of stature”, he said, recalling that leaders of all NDA allies had yesterday said they would work together to ensure the victory of the ruling alliance in Bihar assembly polls. “We simply need the identical parameters to be utilized in our case additionally”.