SEAT SHARING ROW ERUPTS IN INDIA BLOC

SEAT SHARING ROW ERUPTS IN INDIA BLOC

19-SEP-ENG 17

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------CPI (ML) Liberation said that Congress should understand the reality of seat-sharing in Bihar and learn from its previous defeat. Party leader Dipankar Bhattacharya also appealed to RJD to show flexibility in seat-sharing for smaller parties, as new parties may join the India Bloc this time. He clarified that if the opposition alliance wins, Tejashwi Yadav will be the chief ministerial candidate.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, which is part of the opposition alliance in Bihar, expressed hope that Congress will adopt a more realistic approach in seat-sharing negotiations this time. Party General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that Congress should learn from the 2020 assembly elections, when it demanded more seats than it could win, but performed poorly.

Dipankar Bhattacharya said that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) should also show more flexibility regarding seat allocations for smaller parties, as there is a possibility of new parties joining the opposition alliance, which could expand the coalition. Bhattacharya stated that his party intends to contest at least 40 of the 243 seats this time, compared to only 19 in 2020. He also clarified that if the India Bloc comes to power, Tejashwi Yadav will undoubtedly be the chief ministerial candidate.

He said, "Talks are ongoing... There was a slight delay due to the SIR movement, as it took a lot of time and energy. But I hope the picture will become clearer by the end of this month." Regarding Congress's demand for more seats after the recent "Voter Rights Yatra," Bhattacharya said, "I noticed that some Congress leaders are demanding around 70 seats. But last time they contested 70 seats and won only 19."

Citing the example of the 2015 elections, he said that while Congress contested 40 seats, it won 27, which was a remarkable performance. However, by contesting 70 seats in 2020, they shouldered a heavy burden. Therefore, they should adopt a balanced approach this time. Bhattacharya said, "If Congress contests fewer seats than last time but performs better, it will be better for them and the entire India bloc."

In 2020, the Grand Alliance comprised the RJD, Congress, and the Left parties. They put up a strong fight but fell short of a majority. Many political analysts attributed this to Congress's poor performance. RJD won 75 out of 144 seats, while Congress was reduced to just 19. Meanwhile, the CPI (ML) Liberation surprised everyone by winning 12 out of 19 seats, while the CPI and CPI (M) each won two seats. Bhattacharya said that RJD and Congress will have to show flexibility in seat sharing as new partners are also joining the alliance.