Congress opens seat-sharing talks with JD(U), RJD for Lok Sabha polls

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The Congress has reportedly initiated formal seat-sharing discussions with INDIA bloc allies the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar for a “reasonable and respectable” arrangement for the Lok Sabha elections due in April-May.

The party’s talks with its ruling alliance partners in Bihar, which has 40 seats in the Lok Sabha, come after some sharp exchanges with the Trinamool Congress over the arrangement in neighbouring West Bengal.

The five-member Congress’ National Alliance Committee (NAC), led by Mukul Wasnik, has initiated talks with JD (U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha and RJD's Manoj Jha.

Equipped with statistics from the past elections and an analysis of winnability factors for each constituency, the NAC has embarked on the process of seat-sharing.

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While the party is open to compromise, it is not willing to make overarching sacrifices solely for the sake of maintaining the integrity of the INDIA, a senior Congress leader told the Hindustan Times.

Moneycontrol couldn’t verify the report independently.

The initial round of talks was conducted on a positive note and party was optimistic about an inclusive and agreeable solution through the discussions with JD (U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha and RJD leader Manoj Jha, the report said.

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Leaders within the ruling grand alliance in Bihar have put forth preliminary suggestions for the distribution of seats.

Initial indications propose 17 seats each for the JD (U) and the RJD, while the Congress may get five. The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation could be allotted one seat.