The nomination process for the 121 seats in the first phase of the assembly elections has been completed. Meanwhile, only the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has announced its seat-sharing arrangement. The final seat-sharing formula among the constituent parties of the Grand Alliance has not yet been decided.
Patna: Amidst the first phase of the Bihar assembly elections, disagreements over seat-sharing within the Grand Alliance have begun to surface. While claims are being made that everything is normal, the ground reality tells a different story. In eight assembly constituencies across the state, allies like Congress, RJD, Left parties, and VIP have fielded candidates against each other.
Political analysts are calling this a 'friendly fight', but it is a clear indication that disagreements and confusion persist within the Grand Alliance regarding seat coordination.
First Phase Picture: Internal Tug-of-War Revealed in Nominations
The nomination process for 121 seats in the first phase of the Bihar assembly elections has been completed. This time too, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had already announced its seat-sharing formula, the Grand Alliance (RJD-Congress-Left-VIP) has not yet made a formal announcement. Nevertheless, all allied parties have fielded their respective candidates —
- RJD on 72 seats
- Congress on 26 seats
- Left parties (CPI, CPI-M, CPI-ML) on 21 seats
and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) has declared candidates on 6 seats. Due to this haste and disagreement, a situation of "friendly fight" has arisen on eight seats.
These are the 8 seats where Grand Alliance partners are pitted against each other:
Kahalgon Assembly Seat
- Here, Congress and RJD have fielded candidates against each other.
- RJD Candidate: Rajnish Yadav
- Congress Candidate: Praveen Kushwaha
Tarapur Assembly Seat
- Here, RJD and VIP are facing each other.
- From RJD: Arun Shah
- From VIP: Sakaldev Singh
Bachhwara Assembly Seat
- On this seat, both Congress and CPI have fielded their respective candidates.
- From Congress: Prakash Das
- From CPI: Awadhesh Kumar Rai
Biharsharif Assembly Seat
- Here too, a Congress vs. CPI contest will be seen.
- From Congress: Umair Khan
- From CPI: Shiv Prasad Yadav
Rosera Assembly Seat
- Congress Candidate: B.K. Ravi
- CPI Candidate: Laxman Paswan
Rajapakar Assembly Seat
- From Congress: Pratima Kumari
- From CPI: Mohit Paswan
Vaishali Assembly Seat
- RJD Candidate: Ajay Kushwaha
- Congress Candidate: Er. Sanjeev Singh
Lalganj Assembly Seat
- One of the most talked-about seats.
- From RJD: Shivani Shukla, daughter of bman leader Munna Shukla
- From Congress: Aditya Kumar Raja
On all these seats, the constituent parties of the Grand Alliance are in a position to cut into each other's votes.
Grand Alliance Leaders' Clarification: "Everything is Fine"
Despite these internal conflicts, all parties are claiming that there is no rift in the alliance. Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of CPI (ML), stated that the delay in seat-sharing and candidate announcement is not a sign of the Grand Alliance's breakup, but rather a result of its expansion. "We are increasing our partnership in more areas than before," he said.
Congress MP Akhilesh Singh also denied any dispute, saying, "Everything is fine internally. The seat-sharing process is ongoing, and everything will be finalized soon. Where there is an overlap, candidates will withdraw their nominations. Tejashwi Yadav is the chief ministerial face of the Grand Alliance." RJD MP Sudhakar Singh also dismissed opponents' allegations as 'rumors', stating that the Grand Alliance is completely united. He added that nominations occurred on some seats due to technical confusion, which will be resolved soon.
The displeasure of Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani has also now subsided. According to sources, he has been allocated a quota of 15 seats, along with an offer of a Rajya Sabha or organizational role in the future.
