Further cracks in I.N.D.I. Alliance: Congress leaders unhappy with RJD over seat sharing in Bihar, RJD upset over inclusion of Pappu Yadav in Congress

At least three senior Congressmen have expressed dissatisfaction with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for unilaterally selecting candidates for four seats slated for election in the first phase on the 19th, amidst a standoff between the senior Mahagathbandhan member and the Congress over seat-sharing negotiations in Bihar, ensuing further split in the I.N.D.I. Alliance.

The Congress’s decision to welcome Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, a former party MP to the party has additionally led to resentment in the RJD.

Insiders close to both the Congress and the RJD indicated that despite the former’s desire for more than ten tickets, the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led party was only prepared to grant Congress five or six seats. Congress candidates contested in nine constituencies in 2019 while the RJD fielded its leaders in 19 constituencies. The remaining seats were given to Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular).

Candidates for Aurangabad (Abhay Kushwaha), Nawada (Shravan Kushwaha), Gaya (Kumar Sarvajeet) and Jamui (Archana Ravidas) were announced by the RJD on 21st March. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar, a Communist Party of India (CPI) nominee who finished second in the seat five years prior, was expected to be the candidate from Begusarai, while the Congress had been requesting Aurangabad for former MP Nikhil Kumar. Awadhesh Rai, a former MLA for the CPI, will run from Begusarai this time.