PATNA: After weeks of haggling over seats, the RJD-led ‘Grand Alliance’, comprising the Congress, the CPI, CPI(ML) and the Vikasheel Insan Party (VIP), claimed to have finalised an arrangement for the Assembly polls in Bihar.
“We have taken the lead. An official announcement will be made either on Saturday or Sunday,” said Mritunjay Tiwari, RJD’s principal spokesperson.
He indicated that the formula was finalised after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav spoke to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over phone for half-an-hour.
“This has been made possible because our intention is clear. In the NDA camp, leaders are still groping in the dark over seat-sharing,” Tiwari said.
He did not reveal the details of the seat-sharing formula. But sources in the alliance said the RJD may contest 136 seats followed by the Congress on 68, the CPI on 19, the VIP on 10 and the rest could be kept for other Left parties.
Sources said the seat sharing formula was reached after an agreement that the CPI would not field former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar as a candidate, although the former student leader would be a star campaigner.
But Kanhaiya would not campaign for the Grand Alliance with Tejashwi, the sources added.
Meanwhile, rumours continued over the fate of talks among ruling NDA partners.
BJP leaders Devendra Fadnavis, Sushil Modi, Sanjay Jaiswal, Bhupendra Yadav and others continued to hold marathon meetings with JD-U and LJP leaders.
Sources said a fresh row has arisen following JD-U laying claims over some traditional BJP seats.
The LJP, another NDA ally, is learnt to have called yet another meeting of the party’s parliamentary board on Saturday in Delhi. Chitranjan Gagan, a senior RJD leader close to Tejashawi, claimed that the LJP would break away from the NDA and contest 143 seats alone without fielding candidates against the BJP.