BIHAR BATTLE: Grand Alliance nears seat-sharing deal, Cong candidate list likely soon

The Opposition’s Mahagathbandhan, also known as the Grand Alliance, in Bihar is set to finalise its seat-sharing arrangement in the coming days, with sources indicating that the alliance could release its list of candidates and a joint manifesto by the end of the week. The Congress, one of the key partners, is also likely to announce its candidates within the next two to three days.

Top sources have confirmed that discussions between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress are in the final stages. Both RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and senior leader Tejashwi Yadav are in Delhi for meetings, and the leadership of the two parties is expected to meet on Monday to resolve pending seat-sharing issues.

lalu, tejashwi arrive in delhi for meeting

• Both RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and senior leader Tejashwi Yadav are in Delhi for meetings, and the leadership of the two parties is expected to meet on Monday to resolve pending seat-sharing issues, say sources.
• Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said party president Mallikarjun Kharge was in touch with all coalition partners to settle the remaining differences.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said party president Mallikarjun Kharge was in touch with all coalition partners to settle the remaining differences. “The Congress president has been speaking to all the alliance partners for the last two days. Talks are on to finalise candidates in constituencies where the Congress and some smaller allies both have strong claims,” he said.

Ramesh acknowledged that the delay in the announcement stemmed from the need to accommodate new allies within the Mahagathbandhan. “We have to adjust some new partners in the alliance, and that takes time. But in the next two to three days, we expect all seats to be finalised and declared,” he said.

When asked about the number of constituencies Congress plans to contest, Ramesh offered a hint with a smile, “Anything between half a century and a century.” Party insiders, however, indicated that Congress would likely contest more than 50 but fewer than 70 seats, slightly less than in the previous Bihar Assembly elections. Senior Congress leaders are scheduled to meet at the party headquarters on Monday to finalise the candidate list.

“The Congress will get a respectable and acceptable number of seats,” Ramesh said, exuding confidence about the alliance’s internal negotiations.

On the broader political mood in the state, Ramesh claimed that the desire for change was evident and said the Congress’s recently released chargesheet against the Bihar Government had been met with a strong public response.

Responding to the BJP’s recurring “jungle raj” narrative against the RJD, Ramesh said voters were focused on the present, not the past. “People are worried about today, not about what happened 20 years ago. They know Nitish Kumar is no longer in control, he’s only a face, not the same leader he was two decades ago,” he said, alleging that the state’s bureaucracy was effectively running the government.

Party sources also revealed that the Congress was preparing a set of welfare schemes and economic promises to counter the NDA’s narrative and would soon unveil them as part of its joint campaign strategy with the RJD and other allies.