PATNA, July 30 -- Even as Bihar assembly elections are drawing nearer, the picture about its contest is still hazy. There are conflicting signals about the final shape of the possible contest. While a direct face-off between two biggest blocs -- NDA and INDIA -- is anybody's guess, experts feel that it could also turn out to be a multi-cornered fight. Apart from the two main alliances, the third party, which is working hard to change the grammar of election with an eye on the future, is the Jan Suraaj Party of Prashant Kishor. It has so far decided to go solo and field candidates on all the 243 seats, but once it s acceptance among electorate is visible and it finds suitable partners, it might also fight the polls in an alliance. Another surprising element in the run up to the polls is the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) whose supremo Chirag Paswan, who also happens to be a Union minister and the party is an ally of NDA, is making contrasting overtures towards his own-supported state government headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar. He has taken sharp potshots at the Nitish government for plummeting law and order situation in Bihar after a spate of murders. He went toofar as to suggest that he was wondering why he was supporting a government so weak to tackle crimes. He also seems to nurturing ambitions to go solo in polls and enhance his party's profile. His party had contested 2020 poll on its own that led to his split from the NDA in 2020. Paswan primarily holds away a section of Dalit votes -- Paswans. Like him, there is one more Dalit leader in NDA -- Jitan Ram Manjhi whose grip over Musahar community, another Dalit sub-section. Like Paswan, he is also a Union minister, but he has views different from Paswan's on state government's handling of local issues. This binary, according to observers, is also because of race for claiming Dalit leadership in Bihar. Manjhi has questioned Paswan's public positioning agaainst the government and advised him to align with the NDA. Apart from Manjhi, JD-U leaders have also started questioning the LJP's stance without having any MLA in the Assembly. "If he is getting restless, there is no point. But he cannot have his body and soul at two different places. Law & order remains the top priority of the government," said JD-U spokesman Neeraj Kumar, without naming anyone. The INDIA bloc also has the accommodation issue, with Vikashsheel Insaan Party (VIP) of Mukesh Sahni announcing that the first agenda of his party is to contest a minimum of 60 seats, which looks improbable due to presence of parties like the Left, Congress and the RJD. Experts say that it is difficult to assess what he would do, as he has spelt out his agenda at a crucial time and the INDIA bloc may not be able to give VIP more than 15-16 seats at a very maximum. Last time, Sahni's party was with the NDA and won four seats, but later found all four shifting to the BJP. He has also been talking about settling scores with the BJP by snatching 40 seats against the four that were snatched last time, and still talking about being the Deputy CM with Tejashwi as CM. Last week, he also shared the dais with Tejashwi, raising the issue of reservation for Nishads. Leader of Opposition Twjashi Prasad Yadav's brother Tej Pratap Yadav, who was axed from the party, has also become increasingly vocal, announcing to field candidates from his yet-to-be-formed outfit and taking on RJD's senior leader Bhai Virendra over the later's telephonic outburst against a Dalit officer. In Seemachal region of the state, AIMIM of Assauddin Owaisi is flexing muscles to contest more seats in Bihar than last time, when it surprised all by winning five seats and later found four of them shifting their allegiance to the RJD, after being overlooked by the INDIA bloc. Apart from them, Mayawati's BSP has also announced to field candidates on all 243 seats, as has Arvind Kejriwal's AAP. Though both the parties have been marginal force in the state, they still have the potential to alter the equations in an election that could have small margin of error, especially on seats where they can muster sizeable votes. Bhim Army and Aazad Samaj Party chief Chandrashekhar Azad, the new face of Dalit assertion who won election from Nagina Lok Sabha seat in UP last year taking on the BSP, BJP and SP, has also announced to test political waters in Bihar on 100 seats. Reading the present situation in Bihar, social analyst NK Choudhary said that the scenario would remain fluid till the seat sharing arrangement both within the NDA and INDIA bloc is finalised. "There is all probability that both sides would delay it and wait for each other to take the lead, taking into account the Jan Suraaj factor and how other players play their cards," he said....