Elections 2019: RJD to Contest 20 Seats, Congress Gets 9 in Bihar Grand Alliance
Image for representational use only.Image Courtesy : NDTV
New Delhi:After much delay hard bargainaing, the Mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance in Bihar finally announced a seat-sharing arrangement, under which the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will contest 20 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress will contest nine seats, while the rest will be shared by smaller allies, such as Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and Vikasheel Insan Party (VIP). The Left parties, barring the CPI(ML), seem to be out of the arrangement.
Making the announcement in Patna, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, flanked by other ally leaders, said the RLSP, led by Upendra Kushwaha, would put up candidates in five seats, HAM, led by Jitan Ram Manjhi and VIP, led by Mukesh Sahni, in three each and the RJD will give one seat out of its quota to the Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist (CPI-ML).
The CPI (M), which plans to fight on one seat and CPI, which has of now named only JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar from Begusarai, do not seem to have made a cut in the Grand Alliance’s seat arrangement.
Jha also announced that the first Rajya Sabha seat to come to the Grand Alliance would go to the Congress.
Sharad Yadav, who broke away from the Janata Dal (United) and launched his own party, Loktantrik Janata Dal, may contest on a RJD ticket and may later merge his party with RJD.
According to a report in The Hindu, Manjhi will be contesting from Gaya.
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