Top Congress leaders in Patna to hold direct talks with RJD supremo Lalu Yadav on seat sharing

NEW DELHI: A day after the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Congress party finalised the names of 25 candidates for the upcoming Bihar elections, top leaders of the party landed in Patna on Thursday to hold direct talks with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav on the seat-sharing formula. According to sources, the direction to hold talks with Yadav came from senior leader Rahul Gandhi, who is currently on a four-nation visit to South America. The fresh negotiations are aimed at bargaining for more seats, though Congress had earlier settled for 5758 seats. The party is now looking for 10 more seats, said leaders aware of the development. The leaders who met Yadav include Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh, former chief ministers Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel, and former Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. The party has appointed Gehlot, Baghel, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as senior observers for the Bihar Assembly elections. TNIE had on Wednesday reported that Congress may get 57 seats in the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), while it will spare two seats for the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP). Sources said that Congress decided to harden its position after the RJD reportedly allotted 28 seats to the Mukesh Sahni-led Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). Though the VIP had been negotiating for around 30 seats, it has settled for 28 seats and will be contesting on the RJD symbolsomething Congress leaders fear could affect their prospects in the post-election scenario. The VIP got only four seats in the last election. If the VIP is contesting in 28 seats, our leaders feel that Congress must be allotted 6065 seats, said a leader involved in the talks. The VIP was part of the BJP-led alliance in the 2020 election. Though it contested 11 seats as part of the NDA, it won only four. Sahni is reportedly keeping his options open, said a leader. However, the grand alliance is keen to rope in the VIP, which commands influence among the Nishad community. In the 2020 assembly elections, Congress contested in 70 seats but managed to win only 19, inviting sharp criticism from within the party and its allies. The much-awaited assembly polls in Bihar, where the opposition bloc led by the RJD will strive to unseat the ruling NDA, will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with votes to be counted on November 14.