After prolonged negotiations over seat-sharing in Bihar, the RJD, NCP and the Congress on Wednesday reached an agreement to form a 'secular alliance' for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
RJD president Lalu Prasad accompanied by Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ashok Chaudhary announced the tie-up of the three parties here for 40 parliamentary seats in the state at 10 Circular Road residence of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi.
The Aurangabad seat was added to the original offer of 11 seats given by the RJD chief to the Congress after talks between Prasad and outgoing Kerala governor Nikhil Kumar on Tuesday.
Prasad said as per the seat-sharing arrangement, Congress would contest on 12 seats, NCP on one while RJD would contest on the rest 27 parliamentary seats.
Seats Offered to Congress Sasaram (SC, Reserved), Kisanganj, Aurangabad, Supual, Hajipur, Purnea, Patna Saheb, Nalanda, Samastipur, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur and Balmikinagar |
The NCP will contest Katihar seat where its general secretary and Union minister of state for Agriculture Tariq Anwar is tipped to contest.
Meanwhile, Madhubani, which had become a bone of contention between Congress and the RJD and reported to be a major irritant in finalisation of the tie-up has gone to Lalu Prasad's party.
The alliance came days after another important partner Ramvilas Paswan's LJP left them to join BJP last week.
Prasad, earlier in the day said that name of candidates would be announced in two days.
The NCP had in the beginning sought two seats, Katihar and Ujiarpur, but got the first one after the final discussions on seat-sharing.
The RJD, which had contested 2009 Parliamentary elections with Ramvilas Paswan, had won four seats, Congress had bagged two while NCP and LJP had drawn blank in last polls.
Congress retained Sasaram (Reserved SC seat) represented by Speaker Meira Kumar and minority dominated Kisanganj represented by Maulana Asrarul Haque.
RJD had won Saran, Buxar, Vaishali and Maharajganj seats, all the four came in their kitty again.
The alliance between the three parties has been formalised after prolonged behind the scene negotiations which on occasions appeared to reach a dead end.
Prasad, who has been disqualified from contesting the polls after being convicted for five years in a fodder scam case, said the secular alliance has come to stop Narendra Modi from implementing agenda of RSS and BJP in Ayodhya.
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