Unease in Congress State unit over delay in seat sharing for Bihar polls

Amid delays over seat-sharing conferences amongst constituents of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), leaders of the Opposition bloc’s companion Congress on Saturday (October 11, 2025) mentioned they had been getting “restive and unnerved” whereas stating that the get together ought to emerge out of the political shadow of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar and contest the upcoming Assembly polls on their lonesome.

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The Mahagathbandhan is prone to announce its seat distribution amongst allies on Sunday (October 12, 2025). Tejashwi Yadav, chief of the principal ally RJD, could go to New Delhi on Saturday (October 11, 2025) night time to carry a ultimate spherical of talks with Congress leaders earlier than announcement of the checklist of get together candidates.

Meanwhile, Tej Pratap Yadav, elder brother of Tejashwi Yadav, who was ousted from the get together and has floated a brand new political outfit Janshakti Janata Dal, mentioned on Saturday (October 11, 2025) that his get together would announce the names of candidates on October 13 however he would contest from Mahua Assembly constituency in Vaishali district. Tej Pratap Yadav is at the moment MLA from the Hasanpur constituency in Samastipur district.

“We urge our get together management to contemplate contesting the upcoming Assembly election in Bihar independently, if the RJD delays in giving respectful seats to our get together. Congress has nothing to lose. Under a political design, RJD for a very long time stored Congress get together ready for the ultimate choice over variety of seats to weaken our get together within the State,” senior Congress chief from Bihar and former member of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Kishore Kumar Jha instructed The Hindu over telephone.

“The RJD management should recognise Congress get together’s renewed power beneath Rahul Gandhi’s management and the renewed political vigour after his lately held Voters’ Adhikar Yatra in over 24 districts of the State protecting 1,300 km for 14 days,” he mentioned. Mr. Jha comes from Madhubani district in north Bihar.

“For how lengthy can we preserve ready and holding assembly upon assembly to beg for extra variety of seats to contest? It (contesting alone) must be accomplished as soon as and for all. We ought to contest the polls alone to let our principal alliance companion RJD know our renewed political power within the State,” fumed one other chief who was earlier an MLA.

In the 2020 Assembly election, the Congress had contested 70 seats however received solely 19 with a poor strike charge compared to different alliance companions. The buzz in political circles is that the Congress get together needs to contest 65-68 seats this time round whereas the RJD shouldn’t be keen to spare greater than 54-56 seats to the get together because it must accommodate different alliance companions like Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Pashupati Kumar Paras-led Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party.

Sources in RJD, although, mentioned the demand of Mukesh Sahani-led Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) for 40 seats and the submit of Deputy Chief Minister is proving to be the largest stumbling block for the Mahagathbandhan to finalise the checklist of candidates. “Every ally in Mahagathbandhan has to sacrifice some seats to accommodate the junior companions and hopefully it will likely be accomplished by tomorrow (Sunday),” a senior RJD chief mentioned on situation of anonymity.

“Being the lead companion, the RJD has to take the lead and finalise the mutually agreed-upon checklist of candidates amongst allies however the delay is agonising for us because the ballot dates are knocking on the door with little or no time left for possible candidates to start campaigning,” the previous Congress MLA mentioned.

Another Congress chief mentioned: “In the following 24 hours, the ultimate checklist of candidates of events can be introduced. Everything has been finalised besides some glitches over a number of seats and that too can be accomplished amicably within the subsequent few hours.” He additionally claimed that this time the get together’s electoral efficiency in Bihar will shock many political pundits.