Bihar Grand Alliance Finalizes Seat-Sharing: RJD to Contest 135 Seats, Congress 61 in Upcoming Assembly Elections

After weeks of negotiations, Bihar's opposition Grand Alliance has reached a seat-sharing agreement with both Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress making compromises, according to sources. The RJD, which initially sought 144 seats, has settled for 135 seats, while Congress has agreed to contest 61 seats instead of their desired 70.

The remaining seats in Bihar's 243-member assembly will be distributed among other alliance partners. The Left Front, comprising CPIML, CPI, and CPM, will receive between 29-31 seats, while Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) has been allocated 16 seats.

Sources indicate that a crucial breakthrough in negotiations was the Congress party's agreement to project Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the alliance, an issue on which they had been hesitant for days. There has been no confirmation regarding potential deputy positions.

The Congress had been demanding over 70 seats with a significant portion being "winnable" constituencies. To leverage their position, they had deliberately delayed endorsing Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial face, maintaining silence despite Yadav's public statements on the matter.

The alliance negotiations were further complicated by the addition of two more parties - Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), already an ally in neighboring Jharkhand, and the India Inclusive Party (IIP). The original alliance consisted of six parties: RJD, Congress, CPI, CPM, and VIP.

Mukesh Sahni, whose VIP party commands significant support among backward castes, had initially requested 50 seats and the Deputy Chief Minister position in the event of an alliance victory.

Sources revealed that the RJD will accommodate JMM from its own seat allocation, while Congress will make similar arrangements for IIP. The JMM's inclusion was considered necessary as RJD and Congress are coalition partners in Jharkhand's government.

The IIP, which enjoys substantial support from the weaver community, will reportedly be allocated the Saharsa seat.