Bihar polls: Congress shortlists 67 constituencies ahead of final seat-sharing talks

The INDIA alliance also comprises the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and Left parties

The screening committee of the Congress party has shortlisted at least 67 seats out of 243 constituencies to contest under Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in the upcoming Bihar state polls, likely scheduled for October-November, a senior Congress leader familiar with the matter said.

A senior party leader said that the exact number of seats each partner of the alliance will be determined in the final round. (File photo)

The INDIA alliance also comprises the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and Left parties.

The first round of screening committee meetings, held on August 20-21 led by Ajay Maken, involved initial assessments of winnable seats based on ground reports from the Voter Adhikar Yatra and local feedback.

The meeting was attended by AICC in-charge for Bihar Krishna Allavaru and Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief Rajesh Ram, who emphasised prioritizing constituencies where Congress performed well in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The second round, on September 20, refined the list by incorporating inputs from alliance partners, amid discussions on accommodating smaller outfits like the VIP and Left parties.

The third round of meetings was held on Sunday. It was attended by Imran Pratapgarhi, AICC in-charge for Allavaru, BPCC chief Rajesh Ram, and leaders of the legislature party in the state assembly and council, Shakeel Ahmad Khan and Madan Mohan Jha.

A senior party leader said that the exact number of seats each partner of the alliance will be determined in the final round of discussions with constituent leaders, including leader of the opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Dipankar Bhattacharya of the CPI(ML) Liberation, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, tentatively after Dussehra (October 2).

“Pasupati Kumar Paras-led Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) and Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will also be given adequate seats to contest under the INDIA bloc banner,” said a senior RJD leader, adding that the RJD and Congress might have to forego a few seats to accommodate new allies.

“The Congress’s screening committee has also selected two to three candidates against each shortlisted seat. The seats and candidates will be finally decided by the central election committee (CEC), which will be held after final allocation of seats,” said the Congress leader present in the screening committee meeting, adding that the party was not adamant about contesting on more seats.

“We are working with a larger objective of helping people rid themselves of the most corrupt regime, which has fuelled unemployment, all-round chaos, and is striving to obliterate the basic structure of democracy through ‘vote chori’,” said BPCC chief Rajesh Ram.

The screening process began in mid-August, building on the momentum from the Congress-led Voter Adhikar Yatra, a 16-day statewide campaign spearheaded by Gandhi which concluded on September 1 in Patna. The yatra, which covered over 1,300km across 25 districts, focused on alleged voter deletions and “vote chori” (vote theft) by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime.