The cracks within Bihar’s Opposition Grand Alliance deepened on Monday as key allies continued to clash over seat-sharing, with both the senior partners RJD and the Congress going ahead with their own candidate lists, with the possibility of “friendly fights” in some seats.
Monday was the last day for withdrawal of nominations for the first phase of polling to be held on November 6 in 121 of the 243 seats.
The second phase of elections will be held on November 11.
The rising tension among the Mahagathbandhan partners is likely to cast a shadow on the national alliance and consensus building among the national and regional players.
A hint of it came on late Monday afternoon when the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha which had declared it would contest in six Assembly seats pulled out of the upcoming Bihar polls.
The party, however, has said it would review its alliance with the Congress and the RJD, which could further fracture the INDI alliance.
After the Congress named candidates for 60 Assembly seats late on Sunday night, five more than the numbers allotted by the Mahagathbandhan, the RJD retaliated with a list of 143 seats.
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari told the news agency PTI, his party is “capable of forming a government on its own” but “respects coalition dharma,” admitting “friendly contests” could not be ruled out at this stage.
Among the 143 seats where the RJD has its own nominees is the seat, Kutumba, where the Congress has nominated its Bihar unit president Rajesh Ram, who is also the current MLA.
RJD will contest against Congress nominees in Vaishali, Lalganjand Kahalgaon and against junior partner Vikassheel Insan Party in Tarapur and Gaura Boram.
With the RJD finalising its 143 candidates, the Mahagathbandhan’s official seat-sharing arrangement now stands at RJD (143), Congress (55), CPI(ML) (20), CPI (6), CPM (4) and VIP (15).
Adding to the tensions, Left allies have also gone their own way. The Communist Party of India (CPI) has put up candidates against the Congress in Rosera, Rajapakar and Bihar Sharif, while the CPI(ML) has done the same in Rajgir. In Begusarai’s Bachhwara seat, Congress has fielded a candidate against the CPI nominee. The RJD has also placed candidates against Congress in Vaishali and Lalganj constituencies.
The camaraderie between Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav in opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to translate into smooth seat-sharing negotiations during the Bihar elections.
The strain extends beyond the core alliance partners. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has decided to contest six seats against Grand Alliance candidates, while the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) has entered the fray from Saharsa and Jamalpur.
Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan took a dig at the Opposition alliance, saying there are no “friendly fights” in politics.
“Either you are friends or you are fighting against each other,” he said. “If you are contesting polls against each other and targeting each other’s leaders, how can you expect this won’t have an impact on other seats?”
Paswan added that the Mahagathbandhan’s infighting has given the NDA an advantage. “The alliance has given us a walkover on many seats that appeared challenging,” he said. His party, part of the NDA, is contesting 29 seats in the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, internal dissent has also surfaced within both the RJD and Congress, with some aspirants accusing the leadership of selling tickets, further exposing the strains within the coalition.
