INDIA Bloc Seat-Sharing Hits Roadblock As RJD, Congress Differ Over These Key Bihar Seats: Report
The Kahalgaon seat, another flashpoint, has traditionally been a Congress stronghold. The party contested it last year but lost to the BJP. The RJD is reportedly seeking to contest from Kahalgaon.
Seat-sharing negotiations within the INDIA Bloc for next month’s Bihar Assembly elections appear to have hit a roadblock, as RJD and Congress struggle to find common ground over five key constituencies: Baisi, Bahadurganj, Raniganj, Kahalgaon and Saharsa.
As per reports, while both allies have been in continuous discussions, disagreements persist over which party will contest these seats. In the previous elections, the Congress had fielded candidates in Kahalgaon and Bahadurpur, while the RJD fought from Saharsa, Baisi and Raniganj. However, neither party managed to secure victories in those constituencies.
Dispute Over Saharsa Seat
According to the reports, the Congress, which recently offered two of its quota seats to the India Inclusive Party (IIP), had initially agreed to allocate the Saharsa seat to its ally, proposing IP Gupta as the candidate. However, the RJD has now renewed its claim on the same seat.
In the last election, BJP’s Alok Ranjan defeated RJD candidate Lovely Anand in Saharsa by a margin of 20,000 votes.
Clash Over Kahalgaon
The Kahalgaon seat, another flashpoint, has traditionally been a Congress stronghold. The party contested it last year but lost to the BJP. The RJD is reportedly seeking to contest from Kahalgaon this time, but the Congress is unwilling to concede the seat.
Congress Stakes Claim in Seemanchal
The Congress is also eyeing Baisi and Bahadurganj in the Seemanchal region, citing its strong performance there during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party currently holds three parliamentary seats in Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnia, represented by Pappu Yadav and others, all located in Seemanchal.
In the 2020 Assembly elections, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won the Baisi and Bahadurpur seats. Both AIMIM MLAs later switched allegiance to the RJD.
The report noted that the Congress believes there is growing discontent against these defected MLAs and has argued that the two constituencies should be reassigned to the party, based on its recent electoral performance in the region.
Meanwhile, the AIMIM on Saturday announced plans to contest around 100 seats in the upcoming elections — nearly five times the number it had fought last time, after being excluded from the INDIA bloc in Bihar.
Disagreement Over Raniganj
The RJD is also reportedly unwilling to give up the Raniganj seat, despite losing it in 2020. Both parties are holding multiple rounds of discussions to finalise a consensus.
Tensions have also been rising over the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial face. The RJD has been projecting Tejashwi Yadav as its CM candidate, while Congress observer and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recently remarked that the announcement was merely part of the RJD’s internal strategy.
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