RJD-CONGRESS SEAT SHARING DISPUTE TROUBLES ALLIANCE

Internal rifts and overlapping candidates expose cracks in Mahagathbandhan’s Bihar poll strategy.

- ANAND SINGH

Tejashwi Yadav Rahul Gandhi Akhilesh Yadav at a rally

(ANI)

Even as the nominations for the first phase got over, the deadlock over seat sharing in the Mahagatbandhan or the Grand Alliance is going on as the parties have still not been able to finalise a formula and partners have fielded candidates against each other on multiple seats.

The Grand Alliance has been claiming that it is united and stands together to dethrone the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar and have broadly fielded joint Opposition candidates on the majority of seats, but since a deadlock continues over several seats, many friendly contests are now on cards.

The impasse over the seat sharing has made Grand Alliance lagging behind NDA just ahead of the crucial assembly battle. The NDA has displayed much better coordination by declaring the number of seats allocated to each partner and ensuring no friendly contests amongst themselves

Sources said that in Vaishali, the RJD has fielded Ajay Kumar Kushwaha and the Congress named Sanjeev Kumar. Similarly, in Tarapur, RJD’s Arun Shah is facing VIP's Sakaldeo Bind.

While in Bachwara, Communist Party of India (CPI) has fielded Abdesh Kumar Rai, while the Congress has named Shiv Prakash Garib Das.

Even in Gaura-Bauram assembly seat, VIP chief Mukesh Sahani has fielded his younger brother Santosh Sahani, whereas the RJD has fielded Afzal Ali Khan. In Lalganj also, the RJD has given the party ticket to Shivani Shukla, while the Congress has named Aditya Kumar Raja. There is also a contest between the CPI’s Mohit Paswan and the Congress's Pratima Kumari in Rajapakar. In Rosera, Laxman Paswan of the CPI is pitted against the Congress's Braj Kishore K Ravi.