RJD 20, Cong 9, RLSP 4, HAM 3, Sharad 2; formal annoucement today
The Opposition Mahagathbandhan is finally in place in Bihar. The Congress on Tuesday agreed to contest on nine seats as against its insistence for 11 seats. The alliance’ mainstay RJD will contest 20 seats, seven less than it fought in 2014 thus paving the way for the accommodation of other smaller parties in the grouping.
Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP will fight on four seats and Jitan Ram Majhi’s HAM on three seats. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is spearheading the formation of the much-hyped grand alliance, has rushed to Ranchi to brief and further deliberate with RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad, currently cooling his heels in jail in a multi-crore fodder scam.
The Mahagathbandhan in Bihar formally acknowledges Congress, RJD, RLSP, HAM, Sharad Yadav’s Loktantrik Janata Dal and Mukesh Sahni’s Vikasheel Insaan Party as its constituents. While Congress wants to take on board Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav, whose wife Ranjeet Ranjan is a Congress MP, it was opposed by RJD, which had fielded him on its ticket five years ago but expelled him later on disciplinary grounds.
“RJD is to contest on 20 seats, Congress on 9 seats, RLSP on 4, HAM on 3, LJD and VIP on 2 seats each,” said AICC sources, adding that a formal announcement would come up on Wednesday at a joint Press conference by representatives of all the grand alliance partners.
Sharing of seats in the Grand Alliance was hampered by squabbles between smaller partners like the RLSP and the HAM with each party demanding a share that was bigger than what the other was to get. The current impasse surfaced following Tejashwi indicating “fissures” as crisis over seat-sharing deepened in the Bihar Mahagathbandhan. Amid hard bargaining by smaller parties, the major players — RJD and Congress — locked horns over the seat sharing arrangements.