The opposition Mahagatbandhan in Bihar, which was to announce its seat-sharing formula on Sunday, has gone back to the drawing table to re-negotiate the deal, with the RJD asking the Congress to reduce its tally to offer better numbers to the other allies.
Last Wednesday, the deal was reportedly clinched, leaving 20 seats for RJD and 11 for Congress. The remaining were to be distributed among the other allies. Under the arrangement, the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party of Upendra Kushwaha would have contested three seats. The Vikasheel Insaan Party of Mukesh Sahni and Hindustani Awam Party of Jitan Ram Manjhi would have got two each. And the remaining one seat apiece would have gone to the CPI and the Jan Loktantrik Party of Sharad Yadav.
Top RJD leaders say the allies were not happy with this formula and each of them wanted more. Senior Bihar politician Sharad Yadav expressed his discontent because he had not been part of any of the consultations.
The situation worsened, with the RJD upset with the Congress’s ‘pressure tactic’ of claiming before a formal announcement that the seat-sharing had been clinched and it had got 11 seats. Senior RJD leaders said the Congress had been ticked off for such tactics.
“We want the broadest possible alliance in Bihar and in view of that, all of us should be willing to provide space to accommodate others,” Manoj Jha, RJD leader and Rajya Sabha member, said.
The RJD is now willing to spare only nine seats, a figure that is not acceptable to the Congress.
The RJD has given the Congress 48 hours to make up its mind.
“The RJD wants this alliance to continue but the innate principle to give and take applies to all. If we came down from 21 seats to 19 we would want others to show such a gesture,” a senior RJD leader said.
The Congress claims that all is well and that the late-night meetings on Saturday were not to renegotiate the deal but to include CPI (ML) in the pact. The discussions, senior Congress leaders claim, were also to deliberate on improving the strike rate.
“There is no problem in the alliance and at an appropriate time we will announce the deal,” Congress General Secretary in-charge of Bihar Shakti Sinh Gohil said.
