PATNA, Oct. 14 -- With the seat sharing formula worked out in the NDA, the alliance is now set for swapping of candidates in seats to be contested as several leaders have changed sides and the alliance is also trying to hoodwink the possibility of anti-incumbency and reduce dissensions through this. A senior JD(U) leader said while changes on some seats were necessitated by circumstances after sitting MLAs switched over to other side, some others were based on the feedback and ground realities, while some would be affected by seat swap within the NDA. "Seat swap means where JD(U) candidates contested earlier, this time we may see new faces from other partners, while some new faces from JD(U) could be seen contesting from seats earlier held by other NDA constituents," said the leader. JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha said, "Seat-sharing in NDA is over smoothly and now seat distribution will also happen as smoothly." However, experts have a different take. "NDA is treading smartly to ward off both dissension as well as the anti-incumbency factor, besides keeping the Opposition guessing. Seat swap happened in the past also, but the scale and nature would mean a lot," said social analyst NK Choudhary. With LJP(RV) emerging as the winner in seat sharing, getting 29 seats, it would also get seats earlier in the fold of JD(U) or BJP and there could be a probability of candidate-swapping also on some seats. Many big faces have also switched sides. With 2020 Parbatta seat winner Sanjiv Kuma joining the RJD last week, JD(U) is set to field a new candidate from there. Bima Bharti, who had won from Rupauli in 2020, switched over to Tejashwi's party soon after the trust vote and also contested the bypoll last year, but lost to JD(U)'s Kaladhar Mandal. In Banka, JD(U) MP Girdhari Yadav's son Chanakya has joined the RJD and is tipped for Belhar seat, represented by his father in 2010 and 2015 on JD(U) ticket. Last time, JD(U)'s Manoj Yadav had won the seat defeating RJD's Ramdeo Yadav. Party leaders say this could necessitate change, as the RJD winner of 2020 would also seek a new opening. In Nawada, two MLAs of RJD (Vibha Devi from Nawada and Prakash Veer from Rajauli (reserved) have tendered their resignation from Vidhan Sabha and are ticket hopefuls. In Nawada, JD(U)'s Kaushal Yadav had finished a poor third, while in Rajauli the loser was BJP in both 2015 and 2020 at the hands of RJD's Prakash Veer. In Patna, Kumhrar MLA Arun Kumar Sinha and in Gaya Hari Manjhi have already accepted that they would not get tickets and have announced that they would not contest this time. In Maithani, JD(U)'s choice is likely Raj Kumar Singh, the lone LJP winner in 2020 state polls but later switched over to Nitish Kumar's party. JD(U) would like to retain the seat under its belt, though LJP wants to regain it. "The current seat sharing arrangement brings the JD(U) and BJP on equal footing. However, JD(U)'s share has dropped significantly over the years, while BJP's has increased consistently. The initiative has clearly shifted away from the JD(U)," said former director, AN Sinha Institute of Social Studies DM Diwakar....