Bihar Polls: Amid Talks Of Rift, Mahagathbandhan To Address Joint Press Briefing | Elections News

Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav. (File)

Amid speculations of internal rift within the alliance, the opposition’s Mahagathbandhan is poised to showcase a united front as it will hold a joint press conference in Patna on Wednesday. The event will also mark the formal launch of its election campaign for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.

Despite recent tensions over seat-sharing arrangements and campaign strategies, leaders of the alliance are expected to present a united front at the press briefing.

The constituent parties, including the Congress, RJD, VIP, and others,  will outline the campaign roadmap and highlight key constituencies as they prepare to hit the ground running, aiming to consolidate voter support ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

Despite multiple meetings and behind-the-scenes talks, coordination among the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties remains disjointed. Clashing candidate nominations suggest underlying rivalries that may undermine the alliance’s chances in crucial constituencies ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

The central deadlock revolved around the number of seats for the Congress. While the RJD, the dominant partner, was reportedly firm on offering around 58 seats, the Congress was adamant about contesting more than 60, ideally 65, citing its status as a national party. The poor strike rate of the Congress in the 2020 elections (winning only 19 of 70 seats) had fueled the RJD’s reluctance to concede a higher number.

The tensions further intensified after RJD announced a candidate against Congress state president Rajesh Ram for the Kutumba (reserved) Assembly seat in Aurangabad.

The RJD and the Congress are locked in direct contests on six seats, while the CPI and Congress will face each other in four constituencies. In addition, Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and the RJD will clash on two seats: Chainpur and Babubarhi.

The situation became clearer after the RJD released its list of 143 candidates on Monday, which included six seats where the Congress has also fielded candidates.

According to the Election Commission, a total of 1,314 candidates remain in the fray for the first phase, in which 121 of the 243 assembly constituencies will go to the polls on November 6. This follows the withdrawal of 61 nominations and the rejection of more than 300 during the scrutiny process.

Bihar will vote in two phases, on November 6 and 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.