Cong to seek larger seat share in Bihar

The Congress may be content with playing second fiddle to RJD in Bihar, but is likely to seek its fair share of seats in the assembly elections due to take place in the state later this year.

A Congress functionary familiar with the development said the party had started preparations for the Bihar elections, due in October-November.

The party has identified 55 of the total 243 seats where it is in position to pose a tough challenge or even win against candidates of the ruling Janata Dal (United)-BJP alliance. “We will negotiate with RJD and other potential alliance partners on these 55 seats,” the functionarycited above said on condition of anonymity. In the 2015 assembly elections, the Congress was a part of the grand alliance also comprising the JD(U) and the RJD.

It won 27 of the 41 seats it contested. The JD(U) and the RJD contested 101 seats each. The RJD won 80 seats and the JD(U), whose leader Nitish Kumar parted ways with the Grand Alliance and joined forces with the BJP in 2017, won 71. The Congress has identified these 55 seats based on the performance of its candidates in the 2015 and 2010 assembly elections. “Let’s see how much we finally get,” the functionary quoted above said, adding that the alliance partners will start preliminary seat-sharing negotiations next month. The alliance will also have to take a call on its chief ministerial face against the backdrop of a significant change in electoral politics; voters these days want to know who will be their PM or CM, as evident from the results of last year’s general elections and this month’s Delhi assembly polls.