INDIA Bloc Finalises Bihar Seat-Sharing: RJD May Contest 122-124, Congress 58-62

The Pasupati Kumar Paras-led Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will contest the upcoming Bihar assembly elections as part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The decision came after a key meeting held on Saturday at the residence of Opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

Under the arrangement, RLJP will be allotted seats along with other coalition partners such as Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, Left parties, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). JMM will contest from seats allocated out of the RJD's share.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram said the meeting on seat-sharing was held in a "cordial atmosphere" and a broad understanding had been reached. "Unlike the last elections, Congress and other parties would field candidates in their areas of influence," he said.

Ram also stressed that the success of Rahul Gandhi's Voter Adhikar Yatra had boosted party morale but clarified that this would not mean forcing other partners to compromise on their share of seats.

Sources in the INDIA bloc said most of the seat adjustments had been identified and finalisation could come after another high-level meeting between the RJD and Congress. "We are discussing every seat, and the talks are going smoothly. We have to contest the elections under Tejashwi Yadav's leadership in the Mahagathbandhan. There is no dispute regarding seats," said Mukesh Sahni, VIP founder.

In the 2020 assembly elections, the RJD contested 144 seats, Congress 70, CPI(ML) Liberation 19, CPI six, and CPM four. This time, the RJD is expected to contest 122-124 seats, Congress 58-62, Left parties 31-33, VIP 20-22, RLJP 5-7, and JMM 2-3.

In 2020, RLJP was part of the BJP-led NDA and contested three seats, winning all of them. However, it split from the NDA after the BJP allied with Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas), sidelining RLJP in the last Lok Sabha polls. Similarly, VIP contested 11 seats under NDA, winning four, but most of its MLAs later joined the BJP. JMM spokesman Bablu Pandey said their arrangement in Bihar mirrored the Jharkhand model, where the party shared seats with Congress from its own quota.

Congress and Left leaders said the meeting focused solely on seat-sharing. The RJD, however, has proposed a yatra on the lines of Rahul Gandhi's Voter Adhikar Yatra, starting from Sasaram on September 15 to cover districts left out previously. RJD spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav confirmed that plans were in motion but said details were still being finalised.

Some INDIA bloc workers expressed uncertainty over whether the yatra, led by Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, would be primarily an RJD exercise or a joint effort with other partners. Rajesh Ram clarified that no discussion on the yatra took place during the meeting and that there was still time to decide its structure.