Amid the ongoing rift between RJD and Congress over the Darbhanga parliamentary seat, there are indications the RJD has made up its mind to contest the north Bihar seat by fielding its senior leader and former minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui. A formal announcement of RJD’s decision to contest Darbhanga is likely to be made soon.
Authoritative sources said the RJD has already allotted the party symbol to Siddiqui and asked him to file his nomination papers from Darbhanga, which will be go to polls in the fourth phase. Sources said Siddiqui will file the nomination papers either on April 4 or April 7.
Reached for comments, Siddiqui said he was keen to contest from Darbhanga as a grand alliance candidate as it was party’s traditional seat. “ I belong to Darbhanga and the constituency has been a stronghold of the RJD since 1990s. It is natural, the RJD has a claim on the seat ,” he said. But he was evasive on the reports that the RJD had given him the symbol. “ Everything will be clear soon” he said.
Sources said the RJD’s top brass took the decision to give the go ahead to Siddiqui to end the rising pressure from the Congress camp to allot the seat to its kitty. The Congress is seeking the seat to field sitting Darbhanga MP Kirti Azad, who recently switched sides from the BJP to join the grand old party.
{{/usCountry}}Sources said the RJD’s top brass took the decision to give the go ahead to Siddiqui to end the rising pressure from the Congress camp to allot the seat to its kitty. The Congress is seeking the seat to field sitting Darbhanga MP Kirti Azad, who recently switched sides from the BJP to join the grand old party.
{{/usCountry}}Congress leaders have argued the seat has been a traditional stronghold of the national party for last many decades and should be allotted to it as it has now a sitting MP in its fold. The RJD leaders have not agreed to the contention reasoning the seat has been won several times by party’s senior leader M A A Fatmi since 1991 and also contested in 80s by LKD.
As things stand, sources said the RJD has offered the Congress to take some other seat to accommodate Kirti Azad. Madhubani parliamentary seat also is unlikely to go to Congress kitty as RJD is firm on fielding former union minister M A A Fatmi from the seat.
There are chances the RJD’s firm stand not to forgo two important north Bihar seats to the Congress could strain the relationship between the two allies in the grand alliance. A section of Congress leaders are already peeved at the way RJD allotted only nine seat to the national party in seat adjustment and also did not give Aurangabad seat, a traditional constituency of the Congress. The Aurangabad seat has gone to HAM(S).