Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge made direct outreach to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday, pressing to break a deadlock over seat sharing in Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan alliance as nomination deadlines loom.
The alliance between the Indian National Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal remains unsettled, with neither side able to clinch agreement even as first-phase nominations close imminently. Congress is reported to have softened its demand to contest 61 of 243 seats, while RJD has resisted conceding on key constituencies.
One complicating factor has been the position of the Vikassheel Insaan Party under Mukesh Sahani. Sahani, who had threatened to exit the alliance, issued a letter to Rahul Gandhi reaffirming ideological loyalty and scaling back seat demands. He stated that ideology comes before seat counts. The VIP had earlier pushed for 25 seats, but RJD countered with an offer of 18.
Smaller allies such as the CPI have also pressed for fair representation, with General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya urging the Congress and RJD to adopt a realistic approach that respects their electoral performance.
Though the Congress-RJD impasse dominates headlines, the broader INDIA bloc faces pressure on multiple fronts. Tensions have emerged between RJD and the Viksheel Insaan Party, and VIP’s public gambits have cast doubt over its continued alliance participation.
The National Democratic Alliance has moved more decisively by contrast. JD released a final list of 44 candidates under its seat-sharing formula, bringing its total to 101, aligning with a near-equal split between JD and BJP seats.
The stakes are high. Voter discontent over unemployment and concerns over electoral roll irregularities threaten the NDA’s hold in Bihar, especially given narrow polling leads. The state commands strategic importance in national politics and is often viewed as a bellwether for larger alliance battles.
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