File photo of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav with his son and Tejashwi Yadav. (PTI)
After its lousy show in last year’s blank Lok Sabha polls, the RJD has decided not to give the allies enough leverage at its expense. The party also feels that Congress will always be open to a post-election alliance with Nitish Kumar in the event of a hung Assembly.
- News18.com
- Last update: October 2, 2020 11:51 AM M. IST
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The Congress party has issued an ultimatum to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) as the talks to share seats in Bihar are nearing the final stage.
The head of the Bihar Congress, Shaktisinh Gohil, reminded the RJD that the party is prepared “for any eventuality” and that the latter can contest the polls alone.
After its grim spectacle in last year’s Lok Sabha polls, in which it went blank, the RJD has decided not to give the allies enough clout at its expense. The party also feels that Congress will always be open to a post-election alliance with Nitish Kumar in the event of a hung Assembly. Therefore, the fewer seats Congress has, the less influence it will have after the results, according to the RJD scheme.
Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi’s RLSP have so far left the Grand Alliance, apparently due to the RJD’s tough stance on the seat-sharing formula.
The RJD has 81 seats in this Assembly.
Last week, the Election Commission of India (EC) announced the key dates for the elections to choose the members of the 243 seats of the Bihar State Legislative Assembly. Bihar’s assembly elections will be held in three phases from October 28 to November 7, said Chief Elections Commissioner Sunil Arora.
Voting in the first phase will take place on October 28, the second phase will be on November 3 and the third phase will be on November 7. The vote count will take place on November 10. It should be noted that this will be the first state election. to be held in India since the beginning of the new coronavirus pandemic.
Chief Elections Commissioner Sunil Arora said one of the first important steps taken was to reduce the maximum number of voters in a polling station from 1,500 to 1,000. “As a result of this, the number of polling stations went from 65,337 (in the 2015 Assembly elections) to more than one lakh in 2020,” he said. The ECI has also made preparations for disinfectants, masks and personal protective equipment to ensure the safe conduct of elections in Bihar.
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