The party has decided to field six candidates in the second phase of the Bihar elections.
New Delhi:The INDIA bloc plans to cover lost ground in the run-up to the Bihar polls by unleashing a campaign blitzkrieg in the election-bound state. In principle, all alliance partners have agreed to a mega rally and joint campaign to project a united Mahagathbandhan, but the Opposition bloc is finding it hard to overcome the "bitterness" over the seats pact. And now, the JMM has announced that it will contest six Assembly seats independently.
Unhappy with the allocation of seats to the JMM, the party announced that it will contest the Bihar polls independently. The party has decided to field six candidates in the second phase of the Bihar elections.
With the latest JMM announcement, the INDIA bloc is now facing a "friendly fight" on at least 11 seats. The bickering over the seat distribution also derailed the plan of the alliance to have a big major announcement to announce its seat sharing.
While the backroom negotiations to reach an amicable arrangement with the JMM and the VIP party led by Mukesh Sahani are still underway, insiders claim that talks are still on and that the smaller parties will likely withdraw the nomination of their candidates. The last date to withdraw nominations for the first phase is October 20, and for the second phase, it is October 23.
In another development, the Congress released another list of five candidates on Saturday. Now the Congress has fielded 54 candidates out of 61 seats agreed upon among the alliance partners.
Amid the hectic parleys to sort out the differences, the INDIA bloc campaign managers, according to sources, believe that after October 20, when the last date of filing nominations ends, the Opposition alliance should show a strong and united face. In that bid the Opposition parties will press into service senior Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge to actively campaign for the alliance candidates.
Apart from this, alliance leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and TMC chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee may also enter the campaign arena for the Opposition bloc candidates.
Before the first phase of elections, a mega rally is also being planned at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna. This rally is expected to witness RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders of the India bloc address the rally. Insiders claim that invites will be sent to the chief ministers of the Opposition-ruled states and other senior leaders of the India Bloc alliance.
Besides, the Opposition alliance leaders will undertake rallies, yatras and also a door-to-door campaign to reach the people over the failures of the Nitish Kumar government.
