A seat-sharing arrangement eludes the Opposition Mahagathbandhan weeks ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, with several partners refusing to give up preferred seats even at the cost of “friendly” contests.

As the filing of nominations closed on Friday for 121 of the 243 constituencies that vote on November 6, at least a half-dozen constituencies featured candidates from more than one Mahagathbandhan partner.

These seats will, therefore, witness “friendly fights” unless the additional candidates pull out by Monday, the last day for withdrawing nominations.

Rashtriya Janata Dal insiders said the number of seats that each ally — the RJD, Congress, Left parties and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) — would contest had been broadly agreed on a few days earlier. However, disagreements persist over the choice of constituencies.

A defiant Lalu Prasad, supreme leader of the alliance’s largest constituent, the RJD, has fielded candidates from three seats for which the Congress had already announced its nominees.

The CPI and the Congress, too, have put up candidates against each other.

The Congress was the first to announce its list of 48 candidates, later adding 5 more. The CPIML Liberation has released a list of 14 candidates. The RJD has not released an official list but has privately instructed its nominees to file their papers.

Sources said the RJD was likely to contest 130-135 seats, the Congress around 60, the VIP about 15, and the Left parties — the CPIML Liberation, CPI and the CPM — 28 or 29.

Amid the RJD leadership’s silence, CPIML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, a key figure in the alliance, struck a note of optimism.

“Seat-sharing hasn’t been announced, but everyone is filing nominations. We believe that if there are any minor coordination gaps, they will be resolved by the time of withdrawal,” he told reporters.

Bhattacharya, whose party has said it will contest from 20 seats, said there were no disputes among the partners over these constituencies. “There is complete unity on the 20 seats of the CPIML,” he said.

The frictions within the alliance mainly involve the RJD, Congress and Mukesh Sahani’s VIP.

Traditionally, the RJD has dominated the seat-sharing negotiations within the alliance. But this time, the Congress and the VIP have pushed harder — not just for more seats but also for “quality” (winnable) seats.

Despite its limited presence on the ground, the Congress has demanded a larger share, claiming that Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra has revitalised the party in Bihar.

Sahani, who draws his support from the extremely backward Mallah and boatmen’s communities, wants to be projected as the alliance’s candidate for deputy chief minister.

Lalu has, however, refused to yield much ground. The reluctance among the allies — particularly the Congress and the VIP — to endorse his son Tejashwi Yadav as the candidate for chief minister has further riled him.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul reportedly spoke to Lalu to try and resolve the standoff, but the RJD veteran has remained unmoved, sources said.

An RJD source said the party was prepared for “friendly fights” at a few seats.

“Our leaders Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav are firm about not giving up constituencies that the RJD has historically contested,” he said.

“The Congress depends on our support to win from Bihar, so they can’t dictate terms.”

Underlining its aggressive posture, the RJD has fielded a candidate against Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram from the reserved (Scheduled Caste) Kutumba seat, and against other Congress nominees from Vaishali and Lalganj.

The Mahagathbandhan had begun on a strong note, showcasing its unity during Rahul’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in August. However, the goodwill and momentum generated by the outreach programme seem to have been squandered amid the tussle over seats.

Union textile minister and Bihar BJP leader Giriraj Singh ridiculed the “disunity” within the Opposition alliance and claimed the NDA was poised for a big victory.

“There is no such thing as a Mahagathbandhan. It’s fragmented. There is no trust in the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav,” Singh told reporters, claiming the NDA had “leader, leadership and vision”.