Seat-sharing: Allies may bargain hard with RJD
Patna: Amid mounting pressure from its allies, the RJD, headed by Lalu Prasad, has planned to leave a maximum of 103 seats for its three allies—the Congress, Left and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), sources said.
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While the Congress and the Left have been trusted allies of the RJD, the VIP became a part of the opposition INDIA bloc just ahead of last year's Lok Sabha polls.
A top source in the RJD said on Wednesday that under no circumstances would the party contest less than 140 seats in the upcoming assembly polls since "our target is to form the next govt." He said the RJD could spare a maximum of 50-55 seats for the Congress, 30-35 seats for the entire Left (comprising CPI-ML, CPI, and CPI-M), and 12-20 seats for the VIP.
The Bihar assembly has a total of 243 seats.
"Moreover, we will give seats to our allies considering the winnability of the candidates," the source said, adding, "Their mission will be to win the seats." "As far as RJD is concerned, we have to win 100 plus seats at any cost," the source said, wishing not to be identified.
The revelation came amid the allies putting pressure for more seats. Of them, the VIP and the CPI-ML have expressed their demands through various forums.
While the VIP staked a claim for 60 seats, the CPI-ML wanted at least 40-50 seats.
In the last 2020 assembly polls, the CPI-ML put up an impressive performance, winning 12 out of 19 seat it was offered under the seat-sharing deal. The VIP was not a part of the opposition alliance, although as part of the NDA, it won four seats out of 11 it was given under the deal.
At a party meeting held in Sitamarhi, the VIP chief again raked up the demand for 60 seats.
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Similarly, CPI-ML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya demanded 40-50 seats to contest this time. "We are preparing to contest 40-50 seats this time, although the issue will be discussed at the INDIA bloc meeting," Bhattacharya told the reporters on Tuesday.
On the other hand, the Congress has intensified its activities in the state and is strategically working to win as many seats as possible.
The RJD said the allies have every right to make a demand for seats in a democracy. "They have every right to demand more seats. The seat-sharing is no issue for us. It will be settled in a cordial manner," state RJD spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav said.
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