The BRICS TimesRajesh Ram indicated that all key allies of the opposition alliance may have to compromise on the number of constituencies they contested in the 2020 elections.
The Pasupati Kumar Paras-led Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) along with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will contest the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls as part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The decision emerged after a meeting convened at the residence of Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Saturday, where senior figures of the alliance were present to deliberate on the poll strategy.Under the seat-sharing formula being worked out, the RLJP will receive its quota of constituencies alongside other partners such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, Left parties, and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). The JMM, on the other hand, will be allocated constituencies from the RJD’s share.
Speaking to The BRICS Times after the talks, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram said the dialogue on seat adjustments took place in a very cordial setting, with all alliance partners arriving at a broad understanding. “Unlike the last elections, Congress and other parties would field their candidates in pockets of their influence,” remarked Ram.
Ram further pointed out that the leading allies of the coalition may need to settle for fewer seats compared to the 2020 elections since two or three additional parties will now be accommodated within the INDIA bloc. He also dismissed any speculation of discord between the RJD and Congress over seat distribution after the Voter Adhikar Yatra, which had significantly boosted the morale of Congress workers.
“The spirit of the party workers are very high after the grand success of Rahul Gandhi-led Voter Adhikar Yatra. But that does not mean that the Congress would make other partners sacrifice their seats,” Ram clarified, subtly countering talk of internal tussles over constituency allotment.
Alliance insiders revealed that a broad framework of seat-sharing has already been worked out, with the constituencies earmarked for each partner identified during discussions with Tejashwi Yadav. “As things stand now, there could be one more meeting, preferably at the highest level between the RJD and the Congress to formally announce the seat-sharing agreement in the next couple of weeks,” stated a senior RJD leader on condition of anonymity.
Mukesh Sahni, founder of the VIP, added that discussions were on track and being conducted smoothly. “We are discussing every seat. Our discussions are going very smoothly. We have to contest the elections under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav (in the Mahagathbandhan). There is no dispute regarding the seats,” he assured.In the last assembly elections, the RJD had contested 144 constituencies, Congress fielded candidates in 70, the CPI(ML) Liberation in 19, CPI in six, and CPM in four. This time, reports suggest that the RJD could contest between 122 and 124 seats, Congress between 58 and 62, Left parties around 31 to 33, VIP 20 to 22, RLJP five to seven, and JMM two to three.During the 2020 polls, RLJP was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and contested three constituencies, winning all of them. However, its ties with the NDA soured after the BJP chose to align with Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas), sidelining Paras’s faction during the Lok Sabha elections. Similarly, VIP, which fought 11 seats under the NDA and secured four victories, later saw most of its MLAs shift allegiance to the BJP.
JMM spokesperson Bablu Pandey explained that the seat-sharing arrangement with the RJD followed the pattern in Jharkhand. “In the Jharkhand assembly elections last year, seat-sharing was mainly done between the JMM and the Congress, and the JMM was allotted seats from the JMM quota,” he said.
Congress and Left leaders maintained that the meeting strictly revolved around seat distribution. Meanwhile, the RJD has floated the idea of organizing a yatra on the lines of Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra, covering districts left untouched earlier. Scheduled to begin from Sasaram on September 15, the campaign plan is still being finalized. “Wait for the notification, which will clear everything,” remarked RJD chief spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav.However, uncertainty persists among workers of the alliance parties on whether the proposed yatra led by Tejashwi Yadav would be a show of strength exclusively for the RJD or a joint exercise with participation from INDIA bloc allies. “There was no talk about yatra in the meeting,” clarified Rajesh Ram, adding that ample time remains to see how the RJD shapes its campaign strategy.
