Cracks appear within INDIA bloc in Bihar as Congress, RJD vie for seats and CM clash

Tensions are rising between the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) as disagreements over seat-sharing and choice of chief minister for the upcoming Assembly elections intensify.

Considering the public response to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s Adhikar Yatra, the party is demanding to contest 70 seats – the same number it got in the 2020 elections, where it won only 19. The RJD would not be willing to concede that many seats, Hindustan Times sources cited.

RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav stepped in to manage the talks. The report said he has asked the Congress to submit its list of candidates, indicating that the party is likely to be offered 50-52 seats in this election.

“It’s not just about numbers; it’s about avoiding triangular contests in our key areas. If we don’t resolve this issue, it will be a piece of cake for the NDA,” a senior RJD leader told HT.

The leader added that the growing number of smaller parties in the alliance this time means the RJD will have to give up some of its own share to accommodate its allies.

Besides, the Congress would push for contesting 20-25 seats in RJD strongholds, emphasizing a fair mix of winning and tough constituencies. Party leaders have made it clear that they will not settle for “unwinnable dumpster” seats.

The report said the Congress also contested for the deputy chief minister’s post in case the alliance won – especially if it was forced to settle for fewer seats. This demand, along with those of smaller allies, further complicated the negotiations.

Among these allies:

• Mukesh Sahani’s VIP is also claiming the post of deputy CM.
• The CPI(ML), which contested 19 seats and won 12 in 2020, now demands 40-45 seats.
• JMM and RLJP (led by Pashupati Kumar Paras) are in active talks with RJD.
• The AIMIM, which won five seats last time, approached the RJD to enter the alliance.

A key coordination meeting of the INDIA bloc is scheduled later this week in Patna, where leaders aim to finalize a “workable” seat-sharing formula. “The talks will conclude by the last week of September,” CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya told reporters.

The Congress has also convened its own meeting on September 19 in New Delhi to work out a strategy. Tejashwi Yadav, who is launching his Bihar Adhikar Yatra this week, was invited to attend the meeting.

A flashpoint recently occurred in Kutumba (Aurangabad), where a meeting of workers of the Congress-led alliance was boycotted by local RJD leaders. In response, the RJD organized its own separate strategy session under the leadership of former MP Suresh Paswan.

Recently, AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru remarked that the CM’s face would be decided by the people of Bihar – a statement seen as a snub to the RJD’s push for Tejashwi Yadav as the alliance’s official ministerial candidate. A few days later, Yadav fueled further speculation by saying: “This time, Tejashwi will contest all 243 seats…”

In the current 243-member Bihar assembly, the BJP-led NDA holds 131 seats, while the opposition bloc controls 111 seats.