THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Patna, Oct 22: Despite being partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Left parties are set to clash head-on in at least eight assembly constituencies in Bihar, exposing cracks in their seat-sharing understanding ahead of the upcoming polls.
The constituencies witnessing these intra-alliance contests include Narkatiaganj, Vaishali, Rajapakar, Rosera, Bachhwara, Kahalgaon, Biharsharif, and Sikandara, according to senior RJD and Congress leaders.
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The Congress has fielded candidates in 61 constituencies—nine fewer than in the 2020 assembly election—while the RJD has announced 143 nominees. Among the Left partners, the CPI is contesting nine seats, the CPI(M) four, and the CPI(ML) Liberation has put up candidates in 20 constituencies.
The CPI(ML), which achieved the best strike rate within the Mahagathbandhan in 2020 by winning 12 of the 19 seats it contested, aims to expand its presence this time.
In some constituencies, direct contests between alliance partners have drawn attention. In Narkatiaganj, Congress’ Shaswat Kedar Pandey is facing RJD’s Deepak Yadav, while in Vaishali, the competition is between Congress’ Sanjeev Singh and RJD’s Ajay Kumar Kushwaha.
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Similarly, Congress’ Pratima Kumri and Shiv Prakash Garib Das are pitted against CPI candidates Mohit Paswan (Rajapakar) and Abdesh Kumar Rai (Bachhwara), respectively. In Biharsharif, Omair Khan of the Congress will take on Shiv Kumar Yadav of the CPI.
The 243-member Bihar Assembly will vote in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting of votes scheduled for November 14.
