PATNA: RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday said Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) is intact and the final seat-sharing announcement would be made Friday.
Rubbishing rumours that all was not well in the grand alliance, he said all allies were on board and would be united on the agenda to defeat the BJP led NDA.
Sources within the alliance said a broad agreement had reached on the 40 seats and the irritants in the way had been removed. As per the formula, the RJD would contest 20 of the 40 seats with Congress fielding candidates on 9 seats and RLSP contesting 4.
The Sharad Yadav led Loktantrik Janata Dal, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha and the CPI-ML (L) would contest 2 seats each with Mukesh Sahni led Vikasheel Insaan Party contesting 1 seat.
Congress insiders said, the alliance was not yet sealed. The party had wished to contest 15 seats, which was slashed to 11 on mutually agreeable terms, but the RJD had left just 9 in the final analysis. “Congress president Rahul Gandhi will have to agree on it first”, they said.
RJD leaders say, two seats had to be curtailed from the Congress quota of 11 to accommodate CPI-ML(L), which has already announced a candidate from Ara. They said, the differences were largely over Darbhanga, Patliputra, Aurangabad and Hajipur seats.
“Kirti Azad has claimed Darbhanga, while RJD wants MAA Fatimi, a former MP on the seat from its quota. RJD’s Misa Bharti is also adamant on Pataliputra. However, the irritants will be over by March 22”, an RJD leader said.