Amid Speculations Of Rift Within INDIA Bloc Over PM Face, Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Reaches Out To Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar

Keen to underscore that the Congress is ready to share political space with the other constituents of the INDIA bloc, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has reached out to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

On the electoral menu is the issue of seat sharing which Rahul wants to settle at the earliest. Rahul’s anxiety stems from the concern whether the JD (U) and RJD – a formidable combine in Bihar – would bend backwards to accommodate the Congress in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

A part of the problem is the divergence of opinion between the High Command and the state-level politicians at Ground Zero.

State Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh's take

State Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, for instance has said that his party would contest on as many seats in the 2024 LS election as it had in the 2019 parliamentary election.

Details of Last LS elections

In the last LS election, Congress had contested on nine seats and had emerged victorious in the Muslim-dominated seat of Kishanganj. The other constituents of the grand alliance had drawn a blank.

On the other hand, while the BJP had won 17 seats, the JD (U), which was part of the NDA at that time, had won 16 while Lok Janshakti Party had emerged victorious in six. In the 2020 Bihar assembly election, Congress had contested on 70 seats but could win only 7.

In the given situation, both JD (U) and RJD may be cautious in allocating more seats to the Congress in the Lok Sabha election, sources added. Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav called on Nitish Kumar at the latter’s official residence and discussed the ground rules for seat sharing.