I.N.D.I.A Bloc In Bihar: Here's How Congress, RJD Have Decided To Share Seats After JD-U's Exit

The announcement will be made jointly by state-level leaders of the RJD, Congress, and Left parties, all constituents of the Mahagathbandhan alliance, at the RJD office in Patna.

File Photo: RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

Source : Getty Images

After Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the state is waiting for an update on how the opposition bloc will share seats. On Friday, Bihar's I.N.D.I.A bloc parties will announce their seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. According to sources, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will contest 26 seats, the Congress nine, and the Left parties five.

The announcement will be made jointly by state-level leaders of the RJD, Congress, and Left parties, all constituents of the Mahagathbandhan alliance, at the RJD office in Patna.

Under the seat-sharing pact, the Congress is expected to field candidates in nine constituencies, including Katihar, Kishanganj, Patna Sahib, Sasaram, Bhagalpur, Bettiah, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, and Maharajganj, sources told ABP News.

The RJD, led by Lalu Yadav, is anticipated to contest the Palamu and Chatra seats in neighbouring Jharkhand, sources added.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation is likely to secure the Karakat, Arrah, and Nalanda constituencies. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) are poised to contest Begusarai and Khagaria seats, respectively.

Ahead of the seat-sharing announcement, differences arose between the Congress and RJD during negotiations due to the latter's unilateral ticket distribution.

The Lok Sabha elections for Bihar's 40 seats are scheduled to be held in seven phases on April 19, 26, May 7, 13, 20, 25, and June 1, with vote counting slated for June 4.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress secured only one seat, while the RJD and Left parties failed to win any. The NDA alliance, comprising the BJP and Janata Dal (United), emerged victorious, securing 17 and 16 seats, respectively.

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