Both parties insist on Darbhanga; Tejashwi, Manjhi Deepak Kumar Jha n
Days after a unanimous announcement by all the stakeholders of Bihar Mahagathbandhan, the RJD and the Congress on Thursday entered into a fresh round of sparring over two Lok Sabha seats. The development forced RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and HAM leader Jitam Ram Manjhi to cancel their election campaigns in the State and rush to Patna, while Bihar Congress leaders flew to Delhi to brief party high command of the “arm-twisting” by the RJD.
In the centre of the row is Congress’ insistence on fielding from Darbhanga sitting local MP and former test cricketer Kirti Azad, who recently joined the Congress after resigning from the BJP.
The two parties are also at loggerheads over RJD’s threat not to back Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan from Supaul after her husband, Pappu Yadav, filed nomination from Madhepura as an Independent candidate against veteran Sharad Yadav, who is contesting on a RJD ticket.
The RJD has staked claim to both the Darbhanga and Madhepura seats due to sizeable numbers of Muslims and Yadav votes.
Sources said the matter may be resolved amicably by Friday morning and Kirti may be fielded from either Valmiki Nagar or West Champaran. However, it is not cear what could both the parties do to persuade Pappu Yadav to withdraw from the race.
While the RJD has been playing the master in the grand alliance, several Congress leaders of Bihar claimed the party was “not getting a fair deal” in the seat-sharing arrangement and urged the high command to step in before it was too late.
Congress sources said the crisis aggravated to a level that the RJD and the Congress almost decided to part ways, however, a communication was established between Congress leaders with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad currently serving a jail term to defuse the situation.
Congress is believed to have succumbed to the pressure of RJD to vacate Darbhanga Lok Sabha seat currently represented by Kirti Azad. RJD had lost the seat by a thin margin in 2014 and is pushing for the candidature of its senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui from Darbhanga.
Congress sources said that in case of sorting out the last minute hurdle Congress may request subject to agreeing of Kirti Azad to field him either from Valmikinagar or West Champaran in Bihar or Dhanbad in Jharkhand. However, in Jharkhand RJD has already given threat to walk out from the Opposition alliance over being allotted only one Lok Sabha seat.
There are also speculation that Congress may field Kirti Azad from Delhi if the Cong-AAP alliance shapes up in the national Capital.
Congress has focused on Brahmin-dominated Mithilanchal and party workers are keen to have either Darbhanga or Madhubani in their pocket. RJD, however, does not want to give up either of these two seats. It is keen to keep Darbhanga for former Minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui and has offered the other Mithilanchal seat of Madhubani to Mukesh Sahni’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). Here also RJD is insisting VIP to field rebel RJD leader MAA Fatmi or former MP Ali Anwar.
The Congress is already upset at having to concede its traditional Aurangabad seat to Jitan Manjhi-founded Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular). As of now, the seats offered to Congress are Sasaram and Samastipur (reserved), Patna Sahib, Supaul, Valmiki Nagar and Munger. Three other Congress seats, which have already been announced are Purnea, Kishanganj and Katihar.
In the meantime, Congress received another shot in the arm with another BJP rebel MP Shatrughan Sinha calling on the Congress chief expressing interest in joining the grand old party. He is likely to be pitted against BJP candidate Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib that has irked RJD which had thought Sinha to field from the same Lok Sabha berth.
Under the seat-sharing arrangement in the Grand Alliance, the RJD will field candidates on 20 seats, Congress on nine, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) on three, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) on five, Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) on three and the Communist Party of India (CPI) on one seat.
Reacting to the days’ development, Supaul MP Ranjeeta Ranjan said a strong message must be sent across that Congress is not a pushover and claimed to have urged the high command to take a decision for the sake the party’s well being in the State. rush to Patna