RJD, Congress close to sealing seat-sharing deal in Bihar

Sources in the RJD and the Congress said the seat-sharing had almost been finalised.

“Congress is expecting no less than 11-12 seats as it now has four sitting MPs in its ranks. While the Congress had won Kishanganj and Supual, NCP MP Tariq Anwar and Darbhanga MP Kirti Azad have joined the party now,” said a source from the Congress.

According to sources, while there has been agreement on the Congress getting Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Sasaram, Aurangabad, Hajipur and Samastipur seats, there is no agreement yet on the other seats the party sought — Munger, Purnia, Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga.

“While Congress Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh has been trying hard to get Muzaffarpur for his aide, the Congress also wants Munger for Anant Singh or his wife. But RJD has committed Darbhanga to Mukesh Sahni and wants to accommodate Brishen Patel in Munger,” said an RJD source, adding that Patel quit Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) recently hoping to get an RJD ticket.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Jan Adhikar Party chief and rebel RJD MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav is in talks with the Congress and aims to contest from the Purnia seat. Former JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, now the chief of Loktantrik Janata Dal, is likely to get a ticket from Madhepura under the Grand Alliance.

Leaders from both the RJD and the Congress said they “do not want the Bihar Grand Alliance to go the UP way”.

“Since there have been too many developments and crossover of important leaders, we are buying time. RJD chief Lalu Prasad is likely to have a talk soon and the seat-sharing can be finalised by March first week,” said a senior RJD leader.