Tejashwi Yadav announces the Grand Alliance candidates in Patna. PTI Tejashwi Yadav announces the Grand Alliance candidates in Patna. PTI The Grand Alliance on Friday announced its candidates for 34 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. No senior Congress leader was present while RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav announced the seats and nominees. While the Congress was reportedly upset at not getting West Champaran or Madhubani seats in exchange for Valmiki Nagar, Tejashwi later said the Congress’s seats had been “cleared from its central leadership and there was no rancour in the Grand Alliance”. Click here for more election news The RJD retained its tried and tested Muslim-Yadav combination by fielding eight OBC Yadavs and four Muslims, apart from two Scheduled Caste candidates, including its former minister Shiv Chandra Ram to take on LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan’s brother Pashupati Kumar Paras from Hajipur. Saran seat, represented by RJD chief Lalu Prasad several times, was given to former Bihar CM Daroga Rai’s son Chandrika Rai, who is father-in-law of Tej Pratap Yadav. Lalu’s eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti was fielded from Pataliputra opposite BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav. Among the RJD’s prominent Muslim faces is its former minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui, for whom it did not concede Darbhanga to the Congress. The Congress had wanted the seat for BJP MP Kirti Azad, who joined the Congress recently. The RJD also fielded Tanvir Hasan from Begusarai opposite BJP’s Giriraj Singh and CPI’s Kanhaiya Kumar. The Congress’s list of seven candidates so far seems to have upset its social combination. The party has not been able to field any upper-caste Brahmin as it has not got a suitable seat such as Darbhanga, Madhubani or West Champaran. It has fielded two upper-caste candidates — Uday Singh, a Rajput, from Purnea seat; and Nilam Devi, wife of Mokama Independent MLA Anant Singh. The Congress has two SC candidates — former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar from Sasaram, and Ashok Ram from Samastipur. For Patna Sahib, Shatrughan Sinha is almost certain to get a ticket. He will formally join the Congress on April 6. As for Valmiki Nagar, the Congress is trying to convince Kirti Azad to contest from the seat. Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan has been fielded from Supaul. Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee working president Kaukab Quadri said they were “hurt by the way RJD treated the Congress”. “Nothing has come out of the last round of negotiations between top leaders of RJD and Congress as Upendra Kushwaha (of RLSP) did not agree to exchange West Champaran with Valmiki Nagar, nor did Mukesh Sahni (VIP) concede Madhubani for Valmiki Nagar. We wonder why RJD did not give us Madhubani, one of the two Mithilanchal seats we wanted. Our first choice was Darbhanga, where Kirti Azad had a natural claim as a sitting MP crossing over to us from the BJP,” Quadri told The Indian Express. “We were treated shabbily in seat-sharing by the RJD while smaller parties were given more seats at our expense.” He added that EBC leader Sahni was given Madhubani just because the RJD did not want to give the Congress a “winnable” seat. Asked about his chances of contesting, Quadri said: “It is the party’s decision, but I would have loved to contest from a seat like Karakat which has a sizeable minority population. The Grand Alliance could have judged winnability factor better. What is the point of having two Kushwaha candidates in Karakat (Upendra Kushwaha) and Aurangabad (HAM (S) candidate Upendra Prasad)?” Tejashwi, however, told reporters: “Everything is fine with the Grand Alliance. Congress’s central leadership was taken into full confidence on seat-sharing. All parties had to make compromises and adjustments.” The other allies in the alliance, the RLSP, HAM(S) and VIP, are likely to decide candidates as per their social profiles to supplement the social base of the RJD and Congress.<doc-sep>The Congress is upset with the "arrogance" of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejaswi Yadav who is reportedly calling the shots in the ongoing seat-sharing talks between the two parties in Bihar. Sources say that the talks are not going forward in a positive direction and that the animosity between both the two parties has reached a stage where Congress is even considering to go solo in Bihar. In the political circles of Bihar, it is being talked about that disagreements between the two sides could be a possible reason why the Congress had to postpone the joining of actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha. Of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, Congress has managed to get nine seats in the Congress-RJD alliance. Congress has announced candidates for three of them-- Katihar, Purnia and Kishanganj-that will be going to polls in the first phase of voting. The other six seats that have gone to the Congress are: Valmiki Nagar, Supaul, Sasaram, Munger, Samastipur and Patna Sahib. However, being traditionally a party that has gained votes of the Brahmins and Muslims, Congress was keen to field sitting Lok Sabha MP Kirti Azad, who recently joined the Congress after quitting BJP. The Congress reportedly wanted to field Kirti Azad from Darbhanga and senior party leader Shakeel Ahmed from Madhubani. However, the RJD has cleared the name of party legislator and former minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui from Darbhanga and offered the Madhubani seat to Mallah leader Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insan party. This decision of Tejaswi Yadav has not gone down well with the Congress. Similarly, Congress wants to field its sitting MP Ranjita Ranjan from Supaul but RJD is keen on putting up a candidate against her. According to sources, RJD is miffed with the fact that Ranjita Ranjan's husband and Jan Adhikar Party chief Pappu Yadav has jumped into the poll fray against their candidate Sharad Yadav in Madhepura, triggering them to put up a candidate against the Congress in Supaul. The RJD also ignored Congress when the latter said it wants to contest Aurangabad seat and field senior party leader Nikhil Kumar. RJD offered the seat to Hindustani Awam Morcha. The Congress thus finds itself being pushed to the wall, triggering talks of the possibility of the party going solo in the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar. ALSO READ | Lalu's son Tej Pratap Yadav quits as RJD student wing president ALSO READ | PM Modi not my enemy but Rahul Gandhi acknowledged torture I was facing in BJP: Shatrughan Sinha ALSO READ | LK Advani deliberately removed, Amit Shah no match for him: Shatrughan Sinha ALSO READ | Your complete guide for 2019 Lok Sabha elections ALSO WATCH | Tejashwi Yadav: BJP is spreading lynching & casteism in India!<doc-sep>New Delhi: Rebel BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha's entry into the Congress has been delayed after tussle over seat sharing intensified between Congress and regional giants in Bihar on Thursday. Veteran Congress leader Ramdeo Rai has reportedly told the top brass that the seat-sharing arrangement was not in the grand old party's favour. He said that RLD and other regional parties should not undermine Congress in coalition politics. The development comes a day after the Darbhanga Lok Sabha seat, represented by former test cricketer Kirti Azad who recently quit the BJP and joined the Congress, emerged as the new bone of contention in the Mahagathbandhan, with the RJD stating that it wished to field its veteran leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui from the seat. State Congress president Madan Mohan Jha, when approached with queries about the RJD's claim, had said Darbhanga was an "important seat", but a final call will be taken by the party's high command. The Congress had last won the seat way back in 1980. Elaborating further on the party's dilemma, Congress leader Rishi Mishra - whose grandfather Lalit Narayan Mishra was a minister in Indira Gandhi's cabinet and is said to be the tallest leader in the Mithila region where Darbhanga falls claimed that Maithil Brahmins in the constituency are traditional supporters of his party. "Darbhanga can be called the epicenter of Mithila region and Maithil Brahmins have traditionally been Congress supporters. We must respect their sentiments. "If a Maithil Brahmin like Kirti Azad does not fight from Darbhanga, what is the point in fielding him from some other region," he said. Mishra's statement came in the wake of unconfirmed reports that the Congress was mooting to give Azad a ticket from Dhanbad in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand, if the RJD remained adamant on Darbhanga. Kirti Azad's father Bhagwat Jha Azad was a veteran Congress leader, who served as as the chief minister of the state for a brief but eventful tenure in the 1980s. Interestingly, former Bollywood set designer Mukesh Sahni - whose six-month-old Vikassheel Insaan Party has been allocated three seats within the Grand Alliance - was also said to have been initially keen on Darbhanga, which has a sizeable Nishad population. Commenting on the developments, Azad said he was hopeful of being fielded from Darbhanga, which has traditionally been a Congress seat. “I have been a sportsperson and when I see the wickets in front of me, I always aim at them. However, I am unable to see the wickets in politics right now,” he said.<doc-sep>By PTI PATNA: The opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar Thursday appeared to be heading towards a crisis, with a number of Congress leaders claiming the party was "not getting a fair deal" in seat-sharing arrangement and urged the high command to step in before it was too late. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Former test cricketer Kirti Azad, who joined the Congress recently, said he would request the party leadership to take "decisive" measures. "It is indeed very demoralising for the entire party, not just the prospective candidate, if one does not get a chance to contest one's sitting seat. I would urge the top Congress leadership to think clearly and take some decisive steps," the sitting MP of Darbhanga said. ALSO READ: Opposition grand alliance seals seat deal in Jharkhand The cricketer-turned-politician has been mortified with the arm-twisting by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the major alliance partner in the Grand Alliance which is insisting on contesting the Darbhanga seat. Azad, who had for long been associated with the BJP, was inducted into the Congress in New Delhi by party chief Rahul Gandhi with much fanfare. Photographs of the duo donning traditional 'Mithila paag' (headgear) splashed across newspapers the following day, indicating that Azad's candidature from Darbhanga as 'Mahagathbandhan' candidate was certain. Son of former Bihar chief minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, Kirti Azad belongs to Maithil Brahmin community - who are traditional supporters of the Congress but have in the recent past inclined towards the BJP. ALSO READ: Tejashwi says Bihar grand alliance almost done deal The RJD, which lost the seat by a thin margin in 2014, is pushing the candidature of its senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui from Darbhanga, citing the sizeable Muslim population in the constituency. Under the seat-sharing arrangement in the Grand Alliance, the RJD will field candidates in 20 seats, Congress in nine, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) in three, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) in five, Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) in three and the Communist Party of India (CPI) on one seat. Echoing Azad's views, Supaul MP Ranjeet Ranjan said, "A strong message must be sent across that we are no pushovers. I would urge the high command to take a decision which could prevent the morale of our workers from sagging." Ranjan has also been baffled by the threat issued by Supaul district RJD chief and MLA Yaduvansh Kumar Yadav on Wednesday that he would put up a candidate against the sitting Congress MP "without caring about any disciplinary action" by his party. Ranjeet Ranjan is the wife of Pappu Yadav. Pappu Yadav had won the seat of Madhepura in 2014 as an RJD candidate, but was expelled by party supremo Lalu Prasad a year later. ALSO READ: Seat-sharing talks in Bihar’s Grand Alliance stuck in tussle between RJD, Congress He subsequently floated his own outfit Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) and had for long been trying for inclusion in the Grand Alliance, heaping praise on the Congress and Lalu Prasad-led RJD. The RJD has, however, announced that it would be fielding veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav from Madhepura. He had lost to Pappu Yadav five years ago when the former fought as a Janata Dal (United) candidate. Stung by the rebuff, Pappu Yadav alleged that Prasad's younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav was "insecure of people like me and Kanhaiya Kumar". The JAP founder also said that he saw potential in Kanhaiya Kumar. Kanhaiya Kumar, who is set to make his electoral debut from Begusarai against BJP's Giriraj Singh as a CPI candidate, recently reciprocated Pappu Yadav's gesture by effusively thanking JAP workers for their support. The former JNU students union leader also indirectly backed the sitting Madhepura MP's claim for re-election, saying "one who toils must get the mehnatana (wages)". Meanwhile, Congress state unit working president Kaukab Qadri also said that the party was getting a raw deal in the state. "We have undeniably been given a raw deal in the first two phases. We were deprived of a chance to contest Aurangabad, which was given to a nondescript outfit like HAM led by former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi," he said. "As per the tentative arrangements for the remaining seats, we will be getting none except Sasaram in south Bihar. I have, therefore, urged the party high command to push for my candidature from Karakat. "It includes the region to which I belong and has a sizeable population of minorities and upper castes who feel ditched by the BJP," Qadri explained. When pointed out that Karakat was the sitting seat of RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha, he said, "We were coerced into giving up Aurangabad, which is adjacent to Karakat and where we had a strong candidate in former MP Nikhil Kumar. "The seat went to Upendra Prasad, a Kushwaha leader from Manjhi's party. It would send a very wrong signal if two Kushwahas get tickets from two adjacent seats. The RLSP chief has been allocated five seats, far in excess of his political heft," the Congress leader said. Congress MLAs Ajeet Sharma, Dheeraj Kumar Singh 'Tunna' and Ramdev Rai echoed similar sentiments. Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Madan Mohan Jha, who rushed to Delhi Wednesday night, is likely to thrash out the issue with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, sensing trouble, Tejashwi Yadav has cancelled his rallies in Jamui, Banka and Katihar Lok Sabha segments, though party sources claimed it was because of his ill-health. The opposition Grand Alliance comprising the RJD, Congress, RLSP, HAM (S) and former Bollywood set designer Mukesh Sahni's VIP has announced the names of nine candidates so far. Elections to the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar will be held in seen phases between April 11 and May 19.<doc-sep>
The alliance between the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar was saved from the brink of collapse on Thursday after the two parties agreed to swap some seats in a compromise deal, people familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity. Both Congress and RJD wanted to contest the Darbangha and Supaul parliamentary seats in Bihar, the people said. The RJD argued that Darbhanga was one of its strongholds and its candidate Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi had lost to Kirti Azad in 2014, then with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and now with Congress, by a thin margin. RJD contended that Fatmi has been winning Lok Sabha elections from Darbhanga since 1991, barring in 1999, 2009 and 2014 Under the new compromise deal, the RJD will contest the Darbhanga seat. Kirti Azad will be in the fray from Paschim Champaran. This time, the RJD is likely to field senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui as its Darbhanga candidate.Also, the RJD agreed to leave Supaul for the Congress, whose candidate Ranjeet Ranjan is set to seek re-nomination from the seat. The RJD was angered by Ranjan’s husband Rajesh Ranjan, better known as Pappu Yadav, filing his nomination as an independent from Madhepura against its nominee Sharad Yadav, who is expected to merge his Loktantrik Janata Dal with the RJD after the polls. Pappu Yadav won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Madhepura on an RJD ticket but was later expelled from the party. Bihar sends 40 lawmakers to the Lok Sabha. Overall, the seat-sharing distribution has remained unchanged, with the RJD contesting 20 seats, Congress nine, Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) five, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) and Mukesh Sahni’s Vikasshil Insan Party (VIP) three seats each. The hitch in the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) apparently also delayed the induction of rebel Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha in the Congress. While he was set to be inducted into the Congress on Thursday, it was later announced that the event will now take place on April 6. Sinha, who met Congress president Rahul Gandhi, later told reporters that the announcement would be made on the auspicious occasion of Navratra. The outspoken former union minister said he will fight from Patna Sahib, whatever be the situation. The BJP has already named Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad as its candidate from the seat. At the time of his joining, Sinha wants both Congress and RJD leaders to be present to project a picture of unity. RJD leaders are also backing Sinha from Patna Sahib, The seat-sharing agreement had caused some heartburn in the Congress with a section of leaders claiming that their party had been given a raw deal. “It is unfortunate that we have got no seat in Mithilanchal which used to be our bastion at one point of time. There is no effort to regain our traditional stronghold,” senior Congress leader from Bihar Kishore Kumar Jha said. The region has a strong presence of Maithili Brahmins, Muslims and backward classes. “We [Congress] have compromised a lot in this seat-sharing deal. We have clearly been given a raw deal,” Jha added. Another Congress leader said on condition of anonymity that Gandhi does not want the collapse of the alliance and was willing to accommodate the RJD’s concerns for the larger goal of ousting the BJP from power in this summer’s Lok Sabha elections.