RJD, Congress kick off talks over seats, campaigning

PATNA/NEW DELHI: Congress and RJD decided to fix a timeline to clinch the nitty gritties of electoral alliance early, with the leadership of the two parties kickstarting the talks for Bihar polls on Monday.
RJD neta Tejashwi Yadav, accompanied by MPs Manoj Jha and Sanjay Yadav, visited Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for discussions that included Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and Gurdeep Sappal.
The allies will meet again in Patna Thursday, where, sources said, they are likely to fix the schedule for finalising the seat-sharing formula, campaign plan and manifesto points. Well-placed sources said the parties expressed concern that delay in seat sharing not only puts electioneering on hold, but also embitters the cadres and hurts coordination. The focus of the 2025 polls is likely to be on joint campaigning.
The sources said seat-sharing will, in all probability, be clinched by May-end. “It is the only ticklish part. Else, we have no differences of manifesto or leadership. The speculation about the CM face of the Mahagathbandhan is also laughable as everybody knows who leads the alliance. Just to underline, Tejashwi has called the meeting to be held on Thursday,” a Congress functionary said.
RJD is said to have argued that allies should make realistic demands on seats instead of just seeking a higher tally. It is felt that Congress may focus on quality of seats instead of numbers.
Tejashwi said the talks were positive and the CM face of the Mahagathbandhan will be decided amicably.