The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Grand Alliance, or Mahagatbandhan, in Bihar is on the verge of finalizing its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Assembly elections. In a significant move, both the RJD and Congress, the alliance’s largest parties, have agreed to contest fewer seats than in the previous election. Each is expected to surrender at least a dozen seats to accommodate other coalition partners, including Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). The precise allocation will be determined through detailed, seat-by-seat discussions among all allies.
Sources indicate that the RJD plans to limit its contention to approximately 130 seats, a reduction of 14 from its 2020 election participation. Similarly, the Congress is prepared to contest around 58 seats, which is a decrease of twelve from its previous tally. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) [CPI(ML)], having demonstrated strong performance by winning 12 out of 19 seats in 2020, is slated to receive an additional eight seats this time. The other Left parties, the CPI and CPI (Marxist), are expected to maintain their previous allocations, contesting six and four seats respectively.
The Grand Alliance welcomes three new members: the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and Pashupati Nath Paras’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). According to insider information, the VIP is likely to secure 14 seats, while both the JMM and LJP are expected to receive two seats each.
Despite these reported figures, senior leaders from the primary constituents—Congress, RJD, and CPI(ML)—emphasized that the final seat-sharing agreement would be a result of meticulous ‘seat-by-seat deliberations.’ An RJD leader underscored the importance of candidate suitability, stating, ‘More than the party, our focus is to ensure that the most capable candidate represents each constituency.’
Buoyed by its strong performance in the 2020 elections, where it secured 12 out of 19 contested seats, the CPI(ML) has put forward a demand for 40 seats. Notably, many of these target constituencies were previously contested by either the Congress or the RJD.
The Congress party, too, sees a strategic opportunity, especially with party leader Rahul Gandhi gaining significant attention after his recent ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra.’ While the party is reportedly amenable to contesting a reduced number of seats, its core demand is for ‘winnable’ constituencies. Within the party, there is growing anticipation and some anxiety regarding the final candidate list. Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Tariq Anwar publicly expressed this sentiment on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, stating, “The announcement of the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections could happen anytime. Supporters and workers of the Congress Party are eagerly awaiting the list of candidates. It is hoped that this time, honest, dedicated, and grassroots workers will be given priority.”