The seat-sharing among the Mahagathbandhan allies for the Bihar Assembly elections is yet to be finalised, with leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc still deliberating over the distribution. Amid this, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has made a direct appeal to voters, urging the people of Bihar to vote in his name across all 243 constituencies.
Tejashwi will contest all 243 seats
Addressing a rally in Muzaffarpur on Saturday, Yadav said, "You all have to stay united, and this time, Tejashwi will contest elections on 243 seats. Whether it is Kanti, Muzaffarpur, or Gaighat, Tejashwi will contest elections from every place. I appeal to you all to vote for Tejashwi. He will work towards taking Bihar forward. I will request all the party leaders to fight the elections unitedly. This government, which has been in power for 20 years, which works to spread communal violence, has to be uprooted.
His remarks come at a sensitive moment, as seat-sharing negotiations within the Mahagathbandhan have grown even more complicated with the entry of Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Pashupati Paras's Lok Janshakti Party.
The RJD leader further criticised the NDA government, claiming that businessmen are being kidnapped and killed daily in the state, and corruption has reached its peak, with the poor being exploited from local police stations to the state headquarters. Addressing a gathering during the unveiling of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar's statue in Kanti, Muzaffarpur, the Bihar Assembly Leader of Opposition also attacked the government from the stage, saying it is a regime that "protects rats."
What Congress has to say on seat-sharing
Earlier this week, Congress state in-charge Krishna Allavaru suggested that RJD should show more flexibility in seat-sharing and said, "Whenever new parties join the alliance, it is essential for all members to contribute by adjusting their seat shares."
"In every state, there are good seats and bad seats (in terms of winnability) and we believe that one party should not get all the good seats and the other gets the bad ones. In the sharing of seats, there should be a balance between good and bad seats," Allavaru was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Seat sharing in 2022 Bihar elections
In the 2020 Bihar elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) contested 144 seats as part of the alliance and secured 75, emerging as the single-largest party. The Congress, which was given 70 seats, managed to win 19.
It is pertinent to mention that the Legislative Assembly election for all 243 constituencies in Bihar is scheduled to be held in October or November 2025. The previous assembly elections were held in October–November 2020. After the election, the National Democratic Alliance formed the state government, with Nitish Kumar becoming Chief Minister. Later, in August 2022, Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) snapped ties with the NDA and formed the government with RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. Again, in January 2024, Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) snapped ties with RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and again formed the government with the BJP-led NDA.
(Input: Sanjeev Kumar)
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