Mahagathbandhan Faces ‘Friendly Fights’ As JMM And RLJP Exit Alliance, Seat-Sharing Talks Collapse In Bihar Polls

Patna: The Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan), Bihar’s principal Opposition bloc, appears headed for "friendly fights" in several seats, as its constituent parties have failed to finalise a seat-sharing agreement.

The situation has been further complicated by announcements from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) on Sunday that they will contest the upcoming Assembly elections independently — drawing sharp criticism from the BJP.

The Mahagathbandhan, which includes the RJD, Congress, CPI, CPI(ML), and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), has yet to finalise or officially announce its seat-sharing formula.

Congress has released two list of 53 candidates so far, but RJD has not formally named its candidates although it has filed nominations in nearly 60 seats.

Amid the uncertainty, the JMM declared that it would field its own candidates in at least six constituencies — and possibly more. “The party has decided to contest the Bihar elections on its own. It will field candidates in six seats — Chakai, Dhamdaha, Katoria (ST), Manihari (ST), Jamui, and Pirpainti (SC),” JMM General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said, adding that the final number of seats could rise to ten.

Bhattacharya accused alliance partners of sidelining the JMM, stating, “There are contradictions within both the NDA and Mahagathbandhan. There is infighting in several constituencies. We will review our alliance in Bihar. They have betrayed the workers of the JMM. We are confident of winning, and the next government in Bihar will not be formed without the JMM’s support.”

The BJP was quick to seize the opportunity, with party's IT Cell chief Amit Malviya launching a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav.

“In Bihar, the JMM has announced its candidates and formally exited the Mahagathbandhan. The party has even said it will reconsider the alliance in Jharkhand after the Bihar polls. The arrogance of Rahul and Tejashwi has led to the Mahagathbandhan’s collapse. Bihar has been saved,” Malviya posted on social media.

Adding to the opposition’s troubles, RLJP President Pashupati Kumar Paras also announced that his party would contest independently, after talks with the RJD-led alliance failed.

“I made concerted efforts to forge an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan, but it didn’t work out,” said Paras, who released a list of 33 RLJP candidates. He was reportedly expecting to contest at least three seats under the alliance. Paras, a seasoned politician, has represented the Alauli (Khagaria) seat seven times between 1977 and 2010, and currently represents Hajipur in the Lok Sabha.

With negotiations breaking down, the Mahagathbandhan is now expected to face “friendly fights” in several constituencies. In Lalganj, both RJD and Congress candidates are in the fray. A similar scenario is unfolding in Kutumba, where RJD has fielded Suresh Paswan against Congress state president Rajesh Ram.

In Sikandra, seat-sharing talks are deadlocked, while in Warsaliganj, both parties have declared separate candidates — Anita Devi from the RJD and Satish Kumar Singh from the Congress.

The nomination process for the first phase of the Assembly elections, covering 121 constituencies across 18 districts, concluded on Friday. The last date for filing nominations for the second phase is Monday. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until Monday for the first phase, and Thursday for the second.