Bihar Polls: Mahagathbandhan’s Tentative Seat-Sharing Formula—RJD, Congress To Concede Seats For Allies
Bihar's Mahagathbandhan is nearing a seat-sharing deal wherein the RJD and Congress are likely to take a haircut compared to the 2020 polls to accommodate the smaller allies like the VIP and JMM.
Bihar’s grand opposition alliance, the Mahagathbandhan, is reportedly on the verge of agreeing to a seat-sharing arrangement ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. According to sources, the tentative distribution could see the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) contesting 135 seats, the Congress 60, and Left parties (CPI, CPI(ML), CP(IM) 30 seats.
Smaller allies such as the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and Indian People’s Party (IIP) may share 18 seats, with VIP taking 15, JMM two, and IIP one seat.
The RJD's proposed tentative share of 135 seats is 9 seats fewer than the 144 seats it contested in 2020. The Congress's likely share is also 10 seats less than the 70 seats it contested in 2020. The tentative figure suggests the RJD and Congress are taking a haircut in their seat share compared to the 2020 polls to accommodate the smaller allies like the VIP and JMM, thereby expanding the Mahagathbandhan.
According to sources, Tejashwi and RJD strategist Sanjay Yadav will also meet Rahul Gandhi to finalise seat sharing. The Mahagathbandhan may announce its final seat-sharing formula on Tuesday.
Congress Top Brass Engaged in Deliberations
Senior Congress leadership, including the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and the Congress Parliamentary Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, have held crucial meetings with leaders of the party's Bihar unit in a push to finalise the arrangement.
Krishna Allavaru, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Bihar, confirmed that the candidate selection process is directly linked to the ongoing negotiations. Speaking to ANI, Allavaru stated, "List will come out after finalisation of the seat-sharing...Our effort is to ensure a good Government for the people of Bihar. So the alliance should not suffer a loss and Bihar should benefit."
Meanwhile, Congress leader Manoj Kumar issued a public appeal for swifter action from the alliance's top decision-makers. He requested, "We have full faith in our leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. We request that they finalise and announce the seat-sharing arrangement as soon as possible."
Political Barbs Over NDA’s Seat Arrangement
The delay within the Mahagathbandhan comes just as the NDA announced its own distribution formula on Sunday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (United) will contest 101 seats each. The remaining seats have been allotted to their smaller partners: the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) secured 29 seats, while the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) will contest six seats apiece.
This arrangement drew a sharp response from the Congress camp. Veteran leader Pramod Tiwari took a pointed dig at the JD(U)’s chief, Nitish Kumar. Tiwari told ANI, "I sympathise with Nitish Kumar; he was not supposed to become the Chief Minister, and now he will not even be able to become an LoP either... They gave 101 seats to Nitish Kumar. He will not become the CM; the CM will definitely be from the Mahagathbandhan."
The Jan Suraaj Party, spearheaded by strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, has taken the lead in candidate announcements. The party declared its second list of candidates for 65 Assembly seats in Bihar on Monday. The released list names candidates for 19 reserved seats (18 Scheduled Caste and 1 Scheduled Tribe) and 46 general seats.
Expelled from the RJD, Tej Pratap Yadav has fielded candidates on 21 seats from his outfit, Janshakti Janta Dal, and announced his candidature from the Mahua (126) assembly constituency in the Vaishali district.
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