With the seat-sharing deal yet to be announced, Congress leaders on Monday held a detailed meeting with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav over assembly seats.
Tejashwi Yadav, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, held a meeting with Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, along with Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, state unit chief Rajesh Ram, CLP Shakeel Ahmed Khan, and several others at the party’s war room.
The meeting between Tejashwi Yadav, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav, Venugopal, and other Congress leaders lasted more than two hours.
Sources said that during the meeting, many seat-sharing issues were discussed, including the seats Congress claims and the seats RJD has been demanding, as well as the demands of Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) leader Mukesh Sahni, among others.
Before this meeting with Tejashwi, the Congress leaders had a detailed meeting with Venugopal, Screening Committee Chairman Ajay Maken, and the Bihar leaders.
Speaking to The Daily Guardian, Rajesh Ram said that the meeting of Bihar leaders took place with Rahul Gandhi, and he was briefed about the Congress stance.
He said that Rahul Gandhi instructed the state leaders to focus on the party’s interests before proceeding with the seat-sharing talks.
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Meanwhile, sources maintained that the Mahagatbandhan (Grand Alliance) is likely to finalize the seat-sharing deal soon, with just a meeting between Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Tejashwi Yadav needed to give it a final shape.
The sources also indicated that once the seat-sharing deal is finalized, the announcement will be made in Bihar’s capital, Patna.
However, by 7 p.m. on Monday, the meeting between Tejashwi Yadav and the Congress leadership had not taken place.
The sources also stated that Congress is seeking to contest at least 60 seats, with a plus or minus of two seats.
The Mahagatbandhan seat-sharing talks had hit a roadblock, as all the alliance partners have been demanding more seats in the state.
However, Congress is hopeful that the seat-sharing deal will be finalized by Monday night.
Earlier in the day, Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Yadav told The Daily Guardian that the seat-sharing deal had almost been finalized and could be announced anytime.
The polling for the 243-member assembly is set to take place in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has already announced its seat-sharing deal for Bihar, with BJP and Janata Dal (United) contesting on 101 seats each, while the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party will contest on 29 seats, and Upendra Kushwaha’s and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s parties will contest on six seats each.
The opposition Mahagatbandhan is looking to wrest power from the NDA in this year’s assembly polls.
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