Bihar: Mahagathbandhan Finalises Seat Sharing
Arun Kumar Mishra
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THE prolonged negotiations among the parties comprising the Mahagathbandhan bloc in Bihar concluded with a joint press conference held at the RJD headquarters in Patna on March 29. The press conference was addressed by state leaders from RJD, Congress, and three Left parties: CPI(M), CPI, and CPI(ML), with the state secretary of CPI(M), Lalan Choudhary, representing the Party.
During the press conference, RJD state leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui announced the distribution of seats among RJD, Congress, CPI(M), CPI, and CPI(ML). RJD secured the majority share with 26 seats, followed by Congress with 9 seats, CPI(ML) with 3 seats, while CPI(M) and CPI each received one seat.
With the seat-sharing arrangements finalised among the Mahagathbandhan constituents, the battle lines have been drawn between the two blocs led by Mahagathbandhan and NDA for the upcoming parliamentary election.
The protracted negotiations between RJD and Congress had fueled speculation and false narratives regarding underlying bitterness and discontent within the Mahagathbandhan. However, the smooth resolution of negotiations has shifted godi media’s attention to the issue of Pappu Yadav, who was denied a Congress ticket to contest from the Purnea seat.
Recently, Pappu Yadav merged his party with the Congress with the singular goal of securing a ticket for the Purnea parliamentary constituency. It is widely known that he played a central role in the assassination of Ajit Sarkar, the esteemed CPI(M) peasant leader who represented the Purnea assembly seat on four occasions in the past. The CPI(M) had vehemently opposed Pappu Yadav's candidacy as a Mahagathbandhan representative, a stance supported by the RJD.
The unwavering unity among the Mahagathbandhan constituents has sent a clear message to the people of Bihar: to defeat the BJP and its allies across all 40 parliamentary seats, thereby paving the way for replacing the current communal corporate authoritarian government with a new secular democratic government, to save the idea of India enshrined in our constitution.
From the outset, the CPI(M) has declared its commitment to uniting all Left, secular, and democratic forces, focusing on ousting the primary enemy of the people: the BJP and its allies who are responsible for undermining democracy, assaulting federalism and constitutional bodies, communalising administrative structures, eroding autonomy, and enabling communal forces to sow division among the masses along religious lines.
In the last ten years, the BJP and its allies have shown utter contempt for the workers and peasants of this country and have forged a close bond with crony capitalists which got exposed in the mega scam known as electron bonds. Under the present dispensation, Bihar has suffered a lot and the people of Bihar will give a befitting reply in the parliamentary elections.
The 17-month short stint of Mahagathbandhan rule in Bihar has brought issues such as employment, health, education, and other basic needs to the forefront. People have experienced firsthand that the promise of providing jobs to 10 lakh youth of Bihar was not merely empty rhetoric like that of Modi, but rather such promises can indeed be implemented under good leadership.
The Left parties have secured five seats and are determined to win all of them. The Left parties, especially the CPI(M), have urged all its units spread across almost all of Bihar's 38 districts to work tirelessly to ensure the victory of Mahagathbandhan candidates, working in close coordination with other friendly parties within the block. The Party has already initiated its campaign in the Khagaria parliamentary constituency, where it has nominated Sanjay Kumar, CPI(M) state secretariat member, as its candidate.
The state committee, convened in Patna on March 22, has called for mass collections and directed district committees to dispatch teams of cadres to various assembly constituencies within the Khagaria parliamentary constituency. Party Polit Bureau member Ashok Dhawale attended the meeting. Sanjay Kumar will file his nomination on April 15, with polling scheduled for May 7. Secretariat members have been assigned as in-charges of different assembly segments and will remain stationed there from April 15th until polling day.
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