RANCHI: The seat sharing formula between two major INDI Alliance partners -- JMM and Congress, has been finalised for the Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand. In a meeting at the residence of Congress General Secretary Mukul Wasnik, both parties agreed to contest seven seats each.
According to the sources, both the parties have reached consensus on giving seats to the other allies -- RJD and Left parties from their quota. JMM will give one seat to RJD from its quota, while Congress will give one seat to the Left parties.
In the 2019 Lok Saha polls, Congress got 9 seats and JMM was given 5 seats. Congress had given two seats to Babulal Marandi's Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) from its quota and JMM had given two seats to RJD.
JMM functionaries told that the party is also planning to field its candidates in Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Assam under the INDI Alliance. They also claimed that the seat sharing formula has been decided in Bengal while the decision over the same in Odisha, Assam and Bihar will be taken in the next meeting.
JMM also wants to contest over few seats in Bihar in the bordering districts of Bihar and will talk to RJD in this regard very soon.
Mukul Wasnik, Salman Khurshid, Congress in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir and state president Rajesh Thakur were present from the Congress side while JMM, Central General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya, Vinod Pandey and MLA Sudivya Kumar Sonu were representing JMM.
Chief Minister Champai Soren on Sunday met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. During the meeting the two leaders also talked about the INDI Alliance and came to a conclusion that it is essential to strengthen the Alliance in order to remove BJP from power at the center. Jharkhand Congress in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir and state president Rajesh Thakur were also present during the meeting.