RJD chief Lalu Prasad
PATNA: Barely five days left for the close of nominations for the first phase of Bihar assembly polls, a seat-sharing deal continued to elude the opposition INDIA bloc on Sunday as RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav reached New Delhi in connection with a case of alleged irregularities in the award of IRCTC contracts during the former’s tenure as railway minister. The duo, along with former CM Rabri Devi and others, are scheduled to appear before the court on Monday, when the order on framing of charges is likely to be pronounced. The court appearance comes amid efforts to finalise seat-sharing among the INDIA bloc allies, which include Congress, the Left and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). Tejashwi said the visit to the national capital was solely because of the court summons. Lalu, however, maintained that talks on seat-sharing were still underway. Sources said the issue is stuck as the Congress is unwilling to settle for fewer than 60 seats, while RJD is equally reluctant to concede. In the 2020 assembly elections, Congress contested 70 seats but won only 19, with a strike rate of 27.14%, a key reason why RJD is hesitant to spare many seats. Sources added that Congress became firm in its demand after witnessing large crowds during the fortnightlong Voter Adhikar Yatra last month, which was supported by all INDIA bloc constituents, including RJD and the Left. “The deal has almost been finalised and will be announced soon, as none of us wants to spoil the momentum created by the yatra. But the announcement can happen only after Monday,” a top RJD source said. Former Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh said, “The seat allocation is almost done, but at the last moment, some difficulties arise in all parties. These are there in the NDA as well and here too. Everything will be announced in 1-2 days.” The VIP has emerged as another challenge for RJD as it has been demanding a significant number of seats and insisting that party chief Mukesh Sahani be named as the deputy CM face. Sources said while RJD is willing to allocate some 15-18 seats to the VIP, it is not prepared to make any commitment on the deputy CM post. Sahani posted on X on Saturday, promising to form a “govt” in Bihar where each community will receive “justice and dignity,” without mentioning the Mahagathbandhan or INDIA bloc. He later posted another message asserting that the “Grand Alliance is united” and stating, “We will write a new story of development and equality in Bihar along with the ideology of social justice of the respected Lalu Prasad.” Meanwhile, in a curious twist, Tejashwi held a meeting with All India Pan Mahasangh president I P Gupta on Saturday evening. The Pan community holds a significant vote share in Bihar and analysts say the move could be intended at countering the aggressive approach of Sahani. The delay in seat-sharing is causing frustration among the alliance partners, as only five days remain before the close of nominations for the first phase of elections to be held on November 6. The last date for filing nomination papers is October 17.
