Bihar Elections: RJD-Congress Seat-Sharing Standoff Persists As Deadline Nears

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Mahagathandhan is yet to announce a seat sharing deal, despite the last date to file nominations inching closer. However, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday gave away party tickets to candidates favoured by him. 

RJD leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav met senior Congress leaders on Monday evening to finalise a deal but it was not materialised. According to reports, the Indian National Congress (INC) has allegedly sought 70 seats, while the RJD is offering them 58 in the 243-member assembly. 

Prominent names who have received tickets through Lalu include Sunil Singh (Parbatta), who quit chief minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) last week and Narendra Kumar Singh a several-term former MLA from Matihani. Both these leaders' candidacy is being viewed as a strategy to win over a section of Bhumiyars, who are traditionally the supporters of the NDA. 

However, the party symbols were taken back from the leaders. The RJD’s reservation of limiting the seats of the Congress is due to their dismal performance in the 2020 state elections where they could only grab 19 of the 70 contested seats. 

The ruling NDA members on the other hand have announced the number of seats they would each be contesting. The BJP and the JD(U) have, for the first time, released an equal seat sharing deal. Both will be contesting 101 seats each. Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vikas) will contest from 29 seats, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) of Jitan Ram Manjhi and the the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) of Upendra Kushwaha will contest six seats each. 

The Assembly polls are set to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the final results being declared on November 14.