Congress to contest 37 seats in Bihar

Deciding to go it alone in Bihar, the Congress today said it would contest 37 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The decision comes days after a jolt from its allies Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) which unilaterally decided to stitch up a pre-poll tie-up in Bihar and contest 37 seats between themselves. Special: My India my Vote

Deciding to go it alone in Bihar, the Congress on Saturday said it would contest 37 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

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The decision comes days after a jolt from its allies Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) which unilaterally decided to stitch up a pre-poll tie-up in Bihar and contest 37 seats between themselves.

"They (RJD and LJP) took the decision unilaterally to share the seats, leaving just three to us," senior Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters in New Delhi.

Shinde added: "It was only through the press that we came to know about it. Last time, we contested four seats and won three of them. My workers obviously felt insulted."

He said his party on its own would contest 37 seats in the state.

Asked if it meant the end of the alliance between the three parties, Shinde said: "This has nothing to do with the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government. It is intact. This is the business of the political parties; nothing to do with UPA."