Bihar’s political landscape is heating up as parties gear up for the upcoming assembly elections. The Grand Alliance, comprising the RJD and Congress, is actively campaigning against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Before the elections, Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition, held meetings with alliance partners and announced an ‘August Kranti’ campaign. This initiative involves rallies led by Tejashwi Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, with the goal of criticizing the Nitish Kumar government and targeting the BJP. A key figure, Mukesh Sahani, the leader of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), was absent from these crucial meetings.
Sahani’s recent pronouncements are creating difficulties for the Grand Alliance, especially regarding the crucial issue of seat distribution. Despite Tejashwi Yadav’s attempts to downplay these internal disagreements, the strains are evident.
The RJD has conducted several rounds of discussions to determine the seat-sharing arrangement. Following the latest discussions, Tejashwi Yadav indicated that all coalition partners have presented their preferred seat allocations and that a resolution would be reached without any significant issues.
However, Mukesh Sahani has consistently asserted his demands. He has repeatedly stated that his party intends to contest 60 seats, with the remaining seats to be distributed among the other allies. Moreover, Sahani has put forth a demand for the Deputy Chief Minister’s post, viewing it as a matter of honor for his community. He publicly declared that he wants to be the ‘groom’ and not a ‘guest’. These demands are drawing scrutiny, considering that the VIP currently lacks any representation in the assembly, as its four MLAs have switched allegiance to the BJP.
In the 2020 assembly elections, Sahani had requested 25 seats and the Deputy CM position from the Grand Alliance. When his demands were not met, he joined the NDA. The BJP subsequently allocated him 11 seats. Despite his party securing four seats, he later fell out with the Nitish Kumar administration, resulting in his MLAs joining the BJP. Currently, his demands are posing a challenge for the Grand Alliance. Observers believe that such demands could disrupt the internal dynamics of the alliance and potentially lead to similar requests from other smaller parties.
The RJD, as the largest party within the coalition, contested 144 seats in the 2020 elections, winning 75. The Congress, which contested 70 seats in 2020 and won 19, is reportedly aiming for approximately 50 seats this time. The Congress has constituted a committee led by senior leader Ajay Maken. The party has not yet declared Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial candidate. Meanwhile, Left parties such as CPI and CPI(ML) have also put forward their demands.