'Friendly fight on 5-10 seats': Ashok Gehlot downplays Congress-RJD seat-sharing tussle in Bihar

Tensions within the Mahagathbandhan, an alliance of RJD, Congress, and other parties, have intensified as seat-sharing disputes persist on 12 constituencies just ahead of the nomination withdrawal deadline for the Bihar Assembly elections. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot arrived in Patna to hold talks with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, aiming to resolve the disagreements and maintain unity among alliance partners.

Downplaying the discord, Ashok Gehlot remarked, "Bihar has 243 seats; there could be friendly fights on 5–10 seats, but there is no issue." Leaders are planning a joint press conference to demonstrate unity, while negotiations on a common manifesto continue.

Both Congress and RJD are working to coordinate their final candidate lists for the first-phase polls scheduled for November 6. Alliance friction escalated after confusion over the Gaura Bauram seat, where RJD’s Afzal Ali Khan filed nomination before seat-sharing details were finalised. The seat was later allocated to VIP, resulting in demands for Khan to return the symbol. Despite intervention, Khan’s nomination remains valid according to the Election Commission.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal and senior leader Krishna Allavaru joined efforts in Patna to mediate and prevent further "friendly fights" within the alliance. The RJD released its list of 143 candidates while Congress announced 61, as both partners work to avoid contesting against each other in key constituencies.

Meanwhile, the RJD has announced a series of promises to strengthen its appeal among women voters. Tejashwi Yadav pledged permanent jobs for Jeevika Didi community mobilisers, offering a monthly salary of Rs 30,000 to 1.5 lakh mobilisers. Other measures include waiving existing loans, providing interest-free loans for up to two years, and insurance coverage up to Rs 5 lakh. The party also promised to make contract jobs permanent if elected.

JDU and NDA leaders criticised these announcements, questioning the RJD's record. Sanjay Jha said, "We have solved all our issues and our candidates are fixed now they are still fighting among themselves. NDA government has fulfilled various promises on the ground, but these people have done nothing. They are only vying for power."

Samrat Chaudhary of the NDA also challenged the credibility of the RJD’s promises, saying, "They promised 2.7 lakh jobs, but their family ruled Bihar for 15 years and did not provide even 1 lakh jobs. They only show dreams during elections and forget everything after polls."

Pappu Yadav commented, "Rahul is the face of Bihar in this election, not Tejashwi Yadav."