With the general election barely months away and seat-sharing yet to be announced, the three Left parties that are coalition partners of the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar have staked claim on a dozen Lok Sabha seats, out of the total 40 seats in the State.
While this has complicated seat distribution among the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) partners, the Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have said there was nothing to worry about and seat-sharing “would be done on time”.
Among the three Left parties, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) which has 12 legislators in the State Assembly, has staked claim for five seats, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India which have two MLAs each in the Assembly, have sought four and three seats respectively. If the leaders of the alliance are to be believed, “this has left seat-sharing in a knot that would be difficult to untie”.
Meanwhile, the third principal partner, the Congress, too has identified at least 10 seats to contest. “If the seat distribution isn’t honourable , the three Left parties are ready to contest the upcoming LS election together in Bihar as part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance [INDIA]”, said a Left party leader, preferring anonymity. “The claim of JD(U) that it would contest all 16 sitting seats is not practical as in 2019, it faced the poll alongside BJP and now the political equation has changed a lot”, said CPI(ML) MLA from Ghoshi (Jehanabad) Rambali Singh Yadav.
Of late, leaders of the Left parties like CPI general secretary D. Raja, have been meeting RJD and JD(U) leaders to stake claim for LS seats. Left parties, traditionally, are influential among voters on some parliamentary seats such as Ara, Begusarai, Siwan, and Jehanabad. “They might not be in a winning position on these seats but collectively they could play spoilsport or kingmaker,” said political commentator and former professor of Patna University Nawal Kishore Choudhary.
Sources in the Left parties told The Hindu that CPI(ML) has sought Ara, Siwan, Karakat, Jehanabad and Patliputra while CPI(M) has demanded Khagaria, Ujjiyarpur, Samastipur and Maharajganj. CPI has set its sights on Begusarai, Madhubani and Banka. According to Mahagathbandhan sources, JD(U) and RJD have decided to spare only Begusarai for the CPI and not even a single seat to the two other Left parties CPI(ML) and CPI(M).
The ruling alliance leaders are also keen on ceding only five seats to the Congress while keeping 17 seats each for themselves. “At best the Ara seat could also be left for the CPI(ML) but not more. In that case, the seat arrangement would be 16 each to RJD and JD(U), six to Congress and two to Left parties”, said a senior RJD leader, requesting anonymity.
Meanwhile, the JD(U) which repeatedly has been claiming 17 seats, including all 16 sitting seats, said the seat distribution “will be done on time”. “You do not worry… it [seat distribution] will done on time”, JD(U) president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told mediapersons on January 11 with RJD leaders repeating the same. “Seat-sharing arrangements will be done smoothly and would be revealed to the media at the appropriate time”, RJD leader and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav said on January 12.
In 2019, JD(U) had contested the LS election along with BJP, sharing 17 seats each. It won on 16 while the BJP had won all 17. Later, CM Kumar-led JD(U) had severed ties with the BJP in August 2022 to form Mahagathbandhan government along with RJD, Congress and Left parties. “After the inauspicious period of Kharmas on January 14, the seat distribution will be formally announced jointly by leaders of all alliance partners”, said a senior RJD leader while, putting up a question pronto, “Has the BJP announced their seat sharing arrangements?”
