Amid speculation over seat sharing ahead of polls for the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the two major political configurations — the RJD-led mahagathbandhan and JD(U)-led NDA — are yet to finalise allocations among alliance partners. The Election Commission is likely to announce poll dates towards the end of September.
Members of the mahagathbandhan have been meeting regularly but no formula has been agreed upon. The Left parties, who had earlier declared that they would contest the poll with the mahagathbandhan , have also failed to come up with an arrangement. The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) has expressed its displeasure over delay in seat sharing. Other allies like the Congress, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and Vikashil Insaan Party (VIP) have been meeting party leaders. On September 18, RLSP leader Upendra Kushwaha had a closed-door meeting with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and next day he met with VIP leader Mukesh Sahni. The buzz among senior leaders is that the RJD has claimed 135-140 seats, leaving around 60 seats to the Congress and 48-43 to be distributed among the three Left parties and alliance partners like RLSP and VIP.
In the NDA too, a seat-sharing deal is yet to emerge between the JD(U), BJP and Lok Janshakti Party. On Sunday, LJP president Chirag Paswan wrote a letter to State party leaders and workers, saying “no discussion on seat sharing or for Bihar’s future has taken place yet among alliance partners”.
