A day after the last date of filing nomination papers for the first phase poll on April 19, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress-led mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar announced their seat-sharing agreement on March 29.
Details of the Announcement
The announcement was made jointly by RJD, Congress, and three Left parties at the State RJD headquarters, outlining the coalition’s distribution of seats in the state.
- RJD will contest 26 seats.
- Congress will contest nine seats.
- Left parties will contest five seats.
- Bihar has a total of 40 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Specific Seat Allocations
- RJD will contest seats including Purnia, Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui, Nawada, Saran, Patliputra, and others.
- Congress will contest seats including Kishanganj, Katihar, Samastipur, Patna Sahib, and others.
- Left parties’ allocations include specific constituencies such as Bhojpur (Ara), Nalanda, Karakat, Begusarai, and Khagaria.
Notable Absences and Discontent
- Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly and RJD leader, was absent during the announcement.
- Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav expressed discontent over the denial of the Purnia seat to Congress under the grand alliance. He expressed his determination to contest from Purnia.
- Begusarai seat, speculated to be contested by Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, was allocated to the CPI, leading to further speculation.
Other Political Developments
- All India Majlis-E-Ettehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) announced its intention to contest on 16 seats in Bihar and supported Hina Sahab from Siwan.
- RJD is expected to gain an additional seat in neighboring Jharkhand under the mahagathbandhan alliance, potentially securing the Palamu seat along with the Chatra Lok Sabha seat.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- Who announced the seat-sharing agreement in the Bihar mahagathbandhan?
- A) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alone
- B) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress jointly
- C) Congress alone
- D) Left parties alone
- Answer: B) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress jointly
- How many Lok Sabha constituencies does Bihar have in total?
- A) 26
- B) 35
- C) 40
- D) 45
- Answer: C) 40
- Which party expressed discontent over the denial of the Purnia seat under the grand alliance?
- A) Congress
- B) Left parties
- C) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
- D) All India Majlis-E-Ettehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)
- Answer: A) Congress
- Who is speculated to be a likely candidate for the Begusarai seat?
- A) Tejashwi Yadav
- B) Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav
- C) Kanhaiya Kumar
- D) Hina Sahab
- Answer: C) Kanhaiya Kumar
- How many seats did All India Majlis-E-Ettehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) announce its intention to contest in Bihar?
- A) 5
- B) 9
- C) 16
- D) 26
- Answer: C) 16