Seat Sharing Gets Tougher For Bihar's Grand Alliance As 2 More Parties Join In

Assembly elections in Bihar drawing closer, seat sharing talks have started in both NDA and the Grand Alliance. While talks in the ruling alliance has become challenging due to the demands of Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha, in the Opposition camp, two more parties have joined in - the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha of Hemant Soren and the LJP faction of Pashupati Paras. The Congress and the CPI-ML have also been demanding more seats.

There are currently six parties in Bihar's Grand Alliance - Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress, CPI, CPM and VIP. Now JMM and LJP (Paras) have also joined it. 

This means now the state's 243 assembly seats will have to be divided among the 8 parties - a situation that makes arriving at a consensus complicated.

Through Pashupati Paras, the Grand Alliance will try to split the Paswan votes -- especially in Khagaria from where the Paswan family comes. 

Mr Paras has been an MLA from Khagaria's Alauli assembly for a long time. Sources said the LJP Paras faction will definitely get two to three seats, from which Mr Paras and his son can contest.

The alliance is hoping the Paswan votes can also be divided by making Mr Paras contest from Hajipur.

It is also necessary to give a seat to the JMM, because the RJD and Congress are also part of the government in Jharkhand. The JMM can be given seats in areas of Banka, Munger and Bhagalpur, which are adjacent to Jharkhand.

The state Congress chief said everyone will have to give up seats and adjust to other parties.
After the meeting held in Patna on Saturday, Congress state president Rajesh Ram clearly said all parties should give up some of their seats and adjust with the rest of the alliance parties. 

Performance of Grand Alliance in 2020 

The RJD had contested 144 seats, of which it won 75.
The Congress contested 70 and won 19.
CPI-ML contested 19 seats and won 12.
CPM contested 4 seats and was successful in winning 2 seats.
CPI contested on 6 seats and won 2 seats.

Possible Roadblocks

This time Mukesh Sahni's VIP (Vikashsheel Insaan Party) is also in the Mahagathbandhan. Mr Saini has asked for 50 seats and the post of Deputy Chief Minister if the alliance wins.

Mukesh Sahni also wants that along with declaring Tejashwi as the Chief Ministerial face, Mahagathbandhan also declare him as the Deputy Chief Minister face.

It will be a tough task for RJD's Tejashwi Yadav or the Congress to accommodate Mukesh Sahni, sources said. Chances are the party can get 20 to 25 seats. Many parties have objections even to that number since last time Mr Sahni contested 11 seats and won only 4. 

This time Tejashwi Yadav wants to keep him in the alliance for the votes of the backward castes.

The Congress might have to settle for 60 seats instead of the 70 they got last time. They are likely to agree provided the seats are winnable, sources indicated.

The strike rate of CPI-ML was very good in the last assembly election, so they are likely to ask for more seats.

India Alliance's solidarity was visible in the Voter Rights Yatra. But even there, Rahul Gandhi always kept Mukesh Sahni and Dipankar Bhattacharya with him.