Tejashwi meeting with Rahul yet to break deadlock over seats

Sources in the GA said the seat adjustment talks having gained pace in last few days between RJD and Congress have so far remained inconclusive on two points. This, despite RJD’s senior leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav having met AICC president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday.

The seat sharing arrangement in the grand alliance in Bihar led by RJD-Congress combine has apparently got stuck over disagreements on several seats among allies with the RJD, being a senior partner in the combination, playing hardball in negotiations to keep its stocks high in the Lok Sabha polls.

Leaders said the first major hitch on seat adjustment is lack of understanding among allies, especially RJD and Congress on number of seats to be contested by the partners. (HT File)

Sources in the GA said the seat adjustment talks having gained pace in last few days between RJD and Congress have so far remained inconclusive on two points. This, despite RJD’s senior leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav having met AICC president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday.

Leaders said the first major hitch on seat adjustment is lack of understanding among allies, especially RJD and Congress on number of seats to be contested by the partners.

While the Congress is eyeing a larger pie of seats in the alliance having demanded 19 seats in initial seat talks, RJD is not ready to allot more than 10 seats to them. The reasoning is the GA’s seat adjustment should be stitched keeping in mind the winnability and social justice combination quotient in mind.

“The RJD is a senior partner in the alliance and has to take along all allies including RLSP, HAM(S), Lokantrik Janata Dal and Left parties. We should have a respectable seat sharing deal so that all allies have nothing to complain,” said, senior RJD leader and former MP, Jagdanand Singh.

Second factor of roadblock in seat adjustments is said to be the differences between RJD and Congress poll managers on the Darbhanga, Sheohar , Munger and Madhepura seats as these constituencies are being demanded by the grand old party, a proposition the RJD leaders are not comfortable with.

Insiders in the GA said the Congress wants Darbhanga parliamentary seat for newly inducted sitting MP Kriti Azad, a dissident BJP leader who joined the national party after switching sides. The RJD leadership is not ready to comply with the demand, arguing the seat has been a traditional RJD stronghold represented previously by former union minister MAA Fatmi.

The RJD is keen on fielding party’s senior MLA Abdul Bari Siddiqui or new ally in the GA, Mukesh Sahni, who has floated his own outfit Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Sahni claims to have a big base among Sahnis, fishermen community, in Bihar belonging to the extremely backward castes.

Similiarly, the Sheohar parliamentary seat is also a bone of contention among the two major partners with Congress eyeing the seat to field former MP Lovely Anand, wife of don turned politician Anand Mohan. Lovely had joined the Congress in January this year. On its part, the RJD has apprised the Congress how the Sheohar seat was party’s stronghold as the RJD was second runners up in the 2014 parliamentary polls.

Another disputed seat is the Munger parliamentary constituency where Congress has evinced interest in fielding criminal-turned- politician Anant Singh with RJD not open to the idea. There are also speculations that sitting Madhepura MP and chief of JAP ( Jan Adhikar Party) Pappu Yadav is seeking re-election as a GA candidate even as RJD senior leaders claim the seat would go to veteran socialist and chief of Loktantrik Janata Dal, Sharad Yadav.

Sources said RJD has also staked claim on Supaul seat, currently held by Ranjeet Ranjan of Congress.

“ The Congress wants Shoehar, Darbhanga , Munger and other few seats for upper caste candidates knowing well how it could impact the RJD’s own vote base among backward classes and minorities. We cannot just give away the seats for the sake of alliance and hurt our own electoral base, which backs us and our allies in the name of social justice championed long by RJD chief Lalu Prasad,” said, a senior RJD leader, wishing not to be quoted.

Though RJD is working hard to remove the hurdles for an amicable seat adjustment deal, its top brass is said to be playing hardball in negotiations risking even the possibility of the alliance breaking up in case Congress walks out.

RJD leaders claim the Congress having contested lok Sabha polls alone in 2009 had not been able to win good number of seats though it hurt the RJD’s poll stocks equally.

“ Congress contesting alone in Bihar in the forthcoming elections would only hurt the BJP led NDA and not the RJD led coalition as the backwards and minorities are with us,” said another RJD leader, claiming the party cannot give in to the pressure of Congress poll managers for higher number of seats. “The RJD contested 27 seats in 2014 lok sabha and we are ready to give away some seats to accommodate other allies. The Congress having contested 13 seats including Tariq Anwar should also leave few seats,” he added.

That apart, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s assertive stand of being allotted higher number of seats than Congress has further complicated matters as Manjhi, having a track record of switching sides, could dump the GA, sources said. RJD has promised Manjhi only one seat, Gaya whereas the HAM(S) chief wants to contest Jehanabad as well, a seat considered another RJD stronghold.

RJD’s national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP, Manoj Jha said the seat adjustments in the GA would be completed within a week’s time. “ We hope to finalise it within next one week,” he said.

HIGHLIGHTS: SEAT Sharing blues in GA.

# Seat sharing arrangement talks in Grand Alliance ( GA) has remained inconclusive so far as RJD and Congress are yet to finalise the number of seats to be contested by each partner. RJD is keen on giving Congress only 10 seats whereas Congress poll managers have demanded 19 seats/

# Differences have cropped up between RJD-Congress on seat to seat adjustment. While Congress is eyeing Sheohar, Darbhanga and Munger, RJD does not want to give these seats. RJD claims these seats have party’s higher electoral base.

# HAM(S) chief and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is unhappy with RJD for not being given two seats, Gaya and Jehanabad. RJD has only promised him Gaya. Manjhi is now talking tough , demanding higher number of seats than Congress.

# RLSP and left partners including CPI-ML(Liberation) may get good number of seats, RLSP could get four seats including Karakat, Motihari and Ujiarpur while ML could get Ara and Siwan. CPM’s demand for Ujiarpur seat is still undecided. CPI may not get Begusarai seat as RJD is keen on fielding senior leader Tanvir Hassan.

Congress state president Madan Mohan Jha said the final talks on seat sharing with RJD and other allies would begin shortly and all issues involving seat adjustment would be settled amicably with an eye on handing over a crushing defeat to the BJP led NDA on all 40 lok sabha seats in Bihar.

HAM(S) chief and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said his party had a much bigger base than that was being made out in their case and the party would not settle down anything less than a honourable seat share. “ I am in the Grand alliance and talks on seat adjustment is still going on. Nothing is finalised as yet and we are confident of being given our due share ,” he said. Manjhi , having already met Tejashwi and Congress national president Rahul Gandhi, is scheduled to meet RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Saturday this week.

Total No of Seats: 40

In 2014:

RJD contested --27

Congress Contested-12

Katihar sitting MP, Tariq Anwar, formerly with NCP, is now with Congress. That makes 13 for Congress