Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has finalized its formula to share seats for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, sources said on Friday.
Congress will contest 68 of the 243 seats in the Bihar Assembly, sources told News18. Currently, the party has more than two dozen MLAs in the state assembly.
Earlier on Friday, Congress had issued an ultimatum to the RJD. Bihar, in charge of the Shaktisinh Gohil party, said that Congress is prepared for any eventuality and can also contest the elections on its own.
The RJD has been cautious about leveraging its allies after its poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections last year. He fears that Congress could opt for a post-election alliance with Nitish Kumar in case there is a hanging Assembly.
The RJD has decided to form a grand alliance that includes three Left Front parties by assigning 19 seats to the CPI (ML). The Marxist-Leninists, who had insisted on at least 20 seats, have a base of support among the junior constituencies of the Bhojpur belt.
The CPI and the CPM will compete jointly in 10 seats. The RJD will accommodate Mukesh Saini’s VIP a few seats from the remaining 145.
The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) have left the grand alliance due to the RJD’s stance on the allocation of seats so far.
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