BJP and JD(U) have agreed to share the 243 assembly seats in Bihar under an almost 50:50 formula with 122 seats going to the Nitish Kumar-led outfit and 121 to the saffron party, reports said on October 5. The seat sharing deal is likely to be announced on October 6. Of the 122 seats in JD(U)'s share, five seats will go to Jitin Ram Manjhi's HAM. Of the BJP's 121 seats, some will be given to Mukesh Nishad's Vikassheel Insaan Party or VIP. The Vikassheel Insaan Party, which exited the opposition Grand Alliance on October 4, had announced that they would contest all 243 seats of the state. Party chief Mukesh Nishad, who is also a set designer in Bollywood, said his party will win a chunk of seats and will be crucial for government formation. Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, led by his son Chirag Paswan, has announced that it would contest against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United, but not against the BJP. Citing ideological differences with the JD(U), the party said "all the candidates who win will form a BJP-LJP government" and added that there was no "sourness" in the relation with the BJP. The Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections 2020 will we held in three phases on October 28, November 3 & 7. The counting of votes & the results will be declared on November 10.