The INDIA bloc announced the seat shares for Bihar on Friday, with Congress hopefuls Pappu Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar elbowed out in a deal that bore the stamp of dominant partner RJD.
RJD principal secretary-general Abdul Bari Siddiqui told reporters his party would contest 26 of the 40 seats in the state, leaving 9 for the Congress, 3 for the CPIML Liberation and one each for the CPI and the CPM.
Pappu — who recently merged his Jan Adhikar Party Loktantrik into the Congress with Lalu Prasad’s blessings on condition that he would be fielded from Purnea — signalled a rebellion by saying he would contest, anyway.
Sources said the RJD saw Pappu, a popular Yadav politician, and youth leader Kanhaiya as possible threats to Lalu Prasad’s son and political heir Tejashwi Yadav.
The seat deal comes at a time when the nomination process for the first phase of the polls is over and that for the second is on. However, the RJD has over the past 10 days unilaterally announced 18 candidates, including those for the 4 first-phase seats.
Sources said the RJD agreed to give the Congress nine seats only after the ally handed over the Palamu and Chatra seats in Jharkhand. The RJD refused demands from the CPIML and the CPI for an extra seat each.
Pappu has seen his chances evaporate with the RJD keeping not only the Purnea seat for itself but also Madhepura and Supaul that he could have contested as an alternative. Pappu has been elected MP thrice from Purnea and twice from Madhepura.
The former MP, whose real name is Rajesh Ranjan, announced he would contest from Purnea and file his nomination papers on April 4.
Although it’s unclear whether he will fight on a Congress ticket or as an Independent, such a move can queer the pitch for RJD candidate and former minister Bima Bharti.
“We will win from the Seemanchal and Kosi regions to form a Congress government in the country. We will hoist the Congress flag in Purnea and make party leader Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister,” Pappu said.
The allocation of Begusarai to the CPI has dashed the hopes of Kanhaiya, who had unsuccessfully contested the seat in 2019 as a CPI candidate.
The RJD will contest from Gaya, Nawada, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Buxar, Pataliputra, Munger, Jamui, Banka, Valmiki Nagar, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Vaishali, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, Ujiyarpur, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Madhepura, Purnea, Araria and Hajipur.
The Congress has been given Kishanganj, Katihar, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, West Champaran, Patna Sahib, Sasaram and Maharajganj. The CPIML will try its luck from Ara, Karakat and Nalanda, the CPI from Begusarai and the CPM from Khagaria.