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NEW DELHI: Seat-sharing talks between Rashtriya Janata Dal and CPI (M-L) Liberation hit a roadblock with the Left party rejecting the offer of 19 seats – the same as what it contested in 2020 – from Tejaswi Yadav’s party as against their demand for anywhere between 40 to 45 seats.The CPI (ML) leadership sees the proposal for 19 seats offered by RJD on Monday as neither “dignified” nor “respectable”. However, on Tuesday the Left party decided to convey a fresh offer and sent a list of around 30 seats to RJD which sources said will be “non-negotiable”.”The offer of 19 seats is unacceptable and there too they have changed a few seats. Now we have made an offer of around 30 seats which is non-negotiable,” the source said. The “ball is now in Tejaswi Yadav’s court,” and “all options are open” is what a source in the party said when asked what would be the course of action if RJD does not agree to the proposal.Last time the Left party had won 12 out of 19 seats in the assembly polls and 2 out of the 3 seats it fought in Lok Sabha in 2024 as part of the “Mahagathbandhan”. Currently it holds 11 seats in the assembly as 1 was lost in the bye-election of 2024. On RJD’s attempts to tell Allies including the Congress to be realistic, the Left party sources when asked made it clear that it is Tejaswi Yadav who has to be “realistic” if he wants to be the CM of Bihar.Party sources say that in 2020 too they had asked for a higher number of seats but agreed to contest on 19 as it was the first time they were coming into the alliance in Bihar and delivered by winning 12.In 2024, Lok Sabha polls too while the Left party had asked for more seats they got 3 and of that their candidates won 2, sources said. “So, we have not just contested on the seats but also got votes and won seats for the alliance,” the party source said.This time besides seeking the 19 seats from 2020, CPI (M-L) has also included in its proposals seats in new districts like Dharbhanga, Madhubani, Nalanda, Gaya and even Champaran where it sees the potential to counter the NDA.The Mahagathbandhan led by RJD comprises Congress, the Left parties – CPI, CPI(M), and CPI(ML) – and Mukesh Sahni’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).
