The aggressive bid for 'agreeable' number of seats among the constituents of the Mahagathbandan in Bihar was on for quite some time now. On Sunday, Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, announced that it would not contest the assembly elections in Bihar days after it expressed its decision to go solo and contest six seats in the neighbouring state.
The ongoing bickering over seats is not a hidden topic anymore, believed primarily to be the reason preventing the Grand Alliance from officially coming up with a combined seat-sharing formula, with two major constituents-- Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress naming candidates on at least six common seats.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which is an ally in the Opposition INDIA bloc, has attributed its initial decision to go solo to a "political conspiracy" by its allies - Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress. It also said it would re-evaluate the alliance with them in Jharkhand, making it clear that the rift within the Grand Alliance will have wider ramifications.
The party had initially decided solo as it did not get the desired number of 12 seats to contest as the Bihar Mahagathbandhan is still struggling to reach a seat-sharing deal. The party had zeroed in on Chakai, Dhamdaha, Katoria (ST), Pirpainti, Manihari (ST) and Jamui assembly seats and will not be contesting as part of the Mahagathbandhan, party General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said. The party is yet to announce the candidates who will contest these seats. All these seats will go to polls in the second phase of voting for the Bihar polls on November 11.
However, making a sharp U-turn, a decision perhaps reveals the political health of the Grand Alliance in Bihar, JMM spokespersons said the RJD and the Congress are responsible for keeping JMM from contesting the election as part of a political conspiracy. JMM will give a befitting reply to this, and review its alliance with RJD and Congress," said Kumar, who is also the state tourism minister. "Political games were played with JMM... We will not support any political party there. Mahagathbandhan will suffer the consequences of JMM not being a part of it in these elections," he added.
Though the JMM does not have a large voter base in Bihar, the party has stressed that it is time they reviewed the alliance in Jharkhand as well. The seat-sharing stalemate has led to multiple constituencies seeing candidates from allied parties contesting against each other, highlighting widened cracks in the coalition ahead of the high-voltage Assembly elections.
Seat-sharing disputes within the Mahagathbandhan drew intervention from senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Lalu Prasad Yadav, who urged unity and coordination. Despite this, clashes among allies have damaged the alliance’s image of cohesion. The RJD reportedly agreed to allot 61 seats to the Congress but insisted on retaining key constituencies like Kahalgaon, Narkatiyaganj, and Vasaliganj.
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