RJD to Contest 26 LS Seats, Ally Congress 9 in Bihar

Patna: The I.N.D.I.A. bloc in Bihar on Friday finalised its seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections, giving 26 seats to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), nine to the Congress and five to the left. The announcement was made in the presence of Mahagathbandhan partners, signaling unity in the bloc.

In a joint media interaction at the RJD office in Patna, it was announced that the RJD would contest, among others, Purnea, Saran, Hajipur, Aurangabad, Ujiyarpur, Supaul, Madhepura, and Araria. The Congress will contest Kishanganj, Katihar and Patna Sahib. The seat-sharing announcement followed RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's participation in the I.N.D.I.A. bloc meeting in New Delhi.

Reports suggest that the allocation of Purnea and Katihar seats sparked contention between the RJD and Congress, especially as both seats are held by Nitish Kumar’s JD(U).

Key to this development is Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, who has been insistent on contesting from Purnea. Yadav recently merged his Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) with the Congress. Sources hint that Yadav may engage in a friendly contest for Purnea, adding complexity to the electoral dynamics. Recently, former JD(U) MLA Bima Bharti announced receiving the RJD's symbol from Purnea.