Bihar Mahagathbandhan waiting for RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha's decision

With Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha still undecided over his next move and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in Ranchi, the Grand Alliance constituents in Bihar are finding it difficult to arrive at a seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming 2019 general election.

The RJD, with 80 MLAs, is the single largest party in the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly and its leaders claim the "elder brother" status within the Opposition alliance. However, Bihar Congress leaders, buoyed by the party's recent victory in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, claim the larger share of the pie by virtue of being the national party.

"A major hindrance in finalising the seat sharing formula for Bihar right now is the RLSP. We are not sure if Kushwaha will join the Grand Alliance or go separate ways. Hence the talks have hit a roadblock. In addition there is also a question of other parties such as that of Sharad Yadav or the Left front. Unless it is clear who all will be a part of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, how can the seat division be finalised?," said an RJD leader.

Recent Grand Alliance entrant Jitan Ram Manjhi, chief of Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), reiterated similar feelings and said, "While Kushwaha is welcome in the Mahagathbandhan, he should take a decision on it soon so that the seat sharing talks could progress." Manjhi added that the decision may be taken after December 20, when a meeting of the Opposition parties is scheduled in Delhi.

Kushwaha, who recently quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Ministership, said he could either join the Mahagathbandhan, the third front or go solo.

The leaders of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee too are in favour of finalising the seat division at the earliest so that the party could "focus on winning the allotted seats." "Ours is a national party and we are prepared to give a tooth and nail fight to the NDA in Bihar. Rest of the decisions will be taken by our party high command," he said.

The Mahagathbandhan constituents are in favour of a coordination committee to discuss the issue. "First we will assess which party is strong on which seats and then, accordingly we will decide on the constituency distribution," he added.