INDIA announces deal on seat-sharing in Bihar
Bihar's Grand Alliance announced seat-sharing pact allocating RJD 26, Congress 9, CPI-ML 3, CPI and CPI-M 1 each for upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The five-party opposition Mahagatbandhan or Grand Alliance (GA) in Bihar on Friday announced its seat-sharing pact a day after the deadline for filing nominations for the first phase, allotting the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) 26 of the state’s 40 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress nine, the Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist (Liberation) three, and the Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) one each.

The quantum of seat distribution was on expected lines though the choice of some seats — such as Purnea in eastern Bihar where the Congress wanted to field strongman former parliamentarian Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav but which has gone to the RJD — might cause some consternation in the alliance. Still, the announcement marks an important moment for the Opposition alliance that is still struggling to clinch seat pacts in crucial states such as Maharashtra.
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“We have arrived at a unanimous decision, demonstrating a cohesiveness that you may not find in the NDA. We will defeat them at the hustings,” said RJD leader Manoj Jha, adding that the names of the candidates will be announced soon.
To be sure, RJD candidates Abhay Kushwaha from Aurangabad, Archna Ravidas from Jamui, Kumar Sarvjeet from Gaya and Shrawan Kushwaha from Nawada filed their nominations on Thursday, the last day for filing nominations for the four seats (out of 40) that go to polls in the first phase in the state on April 19.
The nominations caused some heartburn among alliance partners with some leaders expressing the view that the RJD had announced the candidates unilaterally, and before a final agreement could be arrived at. The Congress’s Nikhil Kumar, for instance, had his heart set on Aurangabad.
The alliance does not include the Pashupati Paras-led faction of the Lok Janshakti Party.

Shravan Kumar, the national spokesperson of the faction, said his party had neither talked about it nor approached the GA on seat-sharing agreement and reports of a possible alliance between RLJP and GA were “rumours and speculations”.
“We have no intention of going with GA. Our leader Pashupati Paras has been authorised to take a call on any seat adjustment in state and national interest. It will be done soon,” he said.
Bihar is expected to be among the most crucial provinces in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (United), the Chirag Paswan faction of the Lok Janshakti Party, the Hindustan Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), has already announced its seat pact.
In 2019, the NDA swept Bihar, winning 39 out of the 40 seats in the state. But the Opposition hopes to do better this time on account of chief minister Nitish Kumar’s flip-flops — he won in the 2020 assembly elections in alliance with the BJP before joining hands with the RJD in 2022, only to desert his new partner in January this year and going back to the BJP — and anti-incumbency against the state government.
The Purnea seat, where the RJD and Congress had a rift over the latter’s keenness to field Pappu Yadav, went to the RJD. The regional party also kept Madhepura, Supaul and Gopalganj while allotting Katihar — where former MP Tariq Anwar is likely to contest — to the Congress. Both Purnea and Katihar are among the five seats in the state where elections will be held on April 26, during the second phase. Nominations for these five seats opened on March 28.
Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Yadav was not present in the joint press conference, which was addressed by RJD’s senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Congress state chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Jha.
On Tuesday, Yadav announced that seat arrangements were finalised but tensions erupted hours later between the Congress and RJD, which unilaterally announced its candidates for the four seats that go to the polls in the first phase.
Purnea, where Pappu Yadav, who recently joined the Congress, hinted that he might fight as an independent if not picked by the alliance, and Begusarai, where the Congress wanted to field former student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, were sticking points.
But Thursday’s seat pact showed that the Congress had been allotted neither of the seats.
From Purnea, the RJD is all set to field Bima Bharti, a JD(U) legislator who switched sides recently. The last date of nomination for the Purnea seat, going to polls in the second phase on April 26, is April 4.
From Begusarai, the CPI is likely to field MLA Awadesh Rai. The party’s general secretary D Raja had made the announcement last week.
Congress did not comment on the announcement.
Asked about Pappu Yadav’s assertion that he was keen to fight in Purnea, Jha said alliances are done between political parties. “ Alliance is done between political parties and not individuals,” he said. Other leaders from the Congress and left parties did not speak.
“I will file nomination... let the party leadership’s response come. People of Purnea have said ‘Pappu is their son, he won’t go anywhere’, I will have to follow the order (of the people),” Yadav told reporters in Purnea on Friday.
“I am committed to making Rahul Gandhi the country’s Prime Minister and helping the Congress revive in Bihar where, five years from now, it will be a force to reckon with in all 40 Lok Sabha constituencies,” he added.
In 2019, the RJD contested contest 20 seats, the Congress nine, RSLP five and HAM-S three. The last two parties have now moved to the NDA. Only the Congress won Kishanganj.
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The RJD will contest Gaya, Nawada, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Buxar, Patliputra, Munger, Jamui, Banka, Valimiki Nagar, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Vaishali, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, Ujiyarpur, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Madhepura, Purnea, Araria, and Hajipur.
The Congress will contest Kishanganj, Katihar, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, West Champaran, Patna Sahib, Sasaram and Maharajganj.
The CPI-ML( liberation) will contest Arrah, Karakat and Nalanda. It will also fight the Agiaon assembly bypolls.
The CPI will fight in Begusarai and the CPI(M) in Khagaria.
Nawal Kishore Chaudhary, political analyst and former Principal of Patna College, said the seat sharing in the GA appeared and realistic, and would be able to put a good fight against the NDA. is quite realistic and would give a good fight to the NDA. “ Of course, RJD has taken a big share, but this a realistic seat sharing arrangement,” he said.
