Top leaders of the Congressional unit in Bihar said on Wednesday that the party could be forced to explore other options if the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) offered just under 70 seats out of the 243, as previously pledged, for them to contest. the assembly elections. together.
A consensus to this effect was reportedly reached among the party’s top leaders, including the Indian Congress Committee (AICC) in charge, Shaktisinh Gohil, AICC Secretary General Tariq Anwar, and former spokesperson Meira. Kumar, at a meeting at the party’s national headquarters on Wednesday afternoon. .
The leaders wondered why the RJD that leads the opposition Grand Alliance was backing down on its compromise offered by Tejashwi party leaders Prasad Yadav and Manoj Jha, a month ago.
“The leaders discussed the sudden shift in focus from RJD and resolved to inform former AICC director Rahul Gandhi of their decision to take the last call on the issue tonight or tomorrow,” said a leader present at the meeting.
In addition to Gohil, the head of the Bihar Pradesh Congressional Committee (BPCC), Madan Mohan Jha, the party leader of the Congressional legislature, Sadanand Jha, the former Governor Nikhil Kumar and the former Union Minister Shakeel Ahmad were also present.
The RJD began to show its strength after the chairman of the BPCC selection committee and former AICC secretary general, Avinash Pande, during his time in Patna, categorically stated that Congress might think about going alone in the absence of an honorable agreement. of seats with the RJD.
In reaction to Pande’s claim, RJD leaders in Bihar, including national spokesperson Manoj Jha and MLA Shakti Singh Yadav party, said they had allocated 58 seats in the assembly in addition to Valmikinagar Lok Sabha’s seat for Congress. “We are following the dharma of the coalition by offering a good number of seats to Congress. We strive to keep the old tie intact and we hope that Congress will also show a generous gesture, ”said Shakti Singh Yadav.
A senior congressional leader familiar with the matter said the party had identified seats to contest following initial guarantees from RJD seniors. “Congress intends to run at least one candidate in urban settlements in every district. We had identified 75 seats. But, the party may consider giving up some seats to keep the alliance intact, ”he said, adding that the problem of sharing seats will be resolved anyway on Thursday.
BPCC spokesman Harkhu Jha said talks between top leaders of both sides were ongoing. “Hopefully, the issues will be resolved amicably,” Jha said.
Congressional leaders are also upset by RJD’s delaying tactics, as it had forced the party to contest just nine seats against the formal agreement to give it 11 seats during the last Lok Sabha election.
“The situation had forced the party to relocate sitting MP from Darbhanga and BJP rebel Kirti Azad to the Jharkhand constituency in Dhanbad,” said one leader, adding that they accepted the deal as the party’s stakes were high on Bihar at that time.
Meanwhile, the selection committee headed by Pande carried out an exercise to shortlist the most potential candidates from the 243 electoral districts that will go to the polls from October 28. Nomination for the first phase of voting will begin Thursday.
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