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Congress hits out at RJD, leaves it two seats in Jharkhand
Smarting from the humiliation inflicted by its key partners, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in Bihar, the Congress retaliated Wednesday by giving only two seats to the RJD in Jharkhand.
Smarting from the humiliation inflicted by its key partners, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in Bihar, the Congress retaliated Wednesday by giving only two seats to the RJD in Jharkhand.
The Congress, however, claimed while announcing the seat sharing formula for Jharkhand that this was no retaliation.
Congress general secretary in charge of Jharkhand, Keshav Rao told reporters: "The Congress doesn't react, it only acts. We have entered into an agreement on seat sharing."
Like Lalu Prasad of RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan of LJP had done on Tuesday, the Congress unilaterally decided the seat sharing formula for Jharkhand Wednesday. Of the 14 seats, the Congress will contest seven, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) five and RJD two. Lalu Prasad and Paswan had left just three seats for the Congress in Bihar.
Jharkhand will hold Lok Sabha polls in two phases - April 16 and 23.
The Congress earlier Wednesday said that no adjustment was possible with the RJD in Bihar after its unilateral announcement of seat distribution.
"Any adjustment is not possible with the RJD at this stage. Even if there is an adjustment, it would be for only a few seats. Our workers are agitated and we have to listen to them also," senior Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters.
The RJD and LJP, key constituents of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, announced Tuesday that they would contest the elections together. Of the 40 seats in Bihar, the RJD would contest 25, the LJP 12 and the Congress only three.
Lok Sabha polls in Bihar would be held in four phases - April 16, 23 and 30 and May 7.
Results would be declared on May 16.
