• Source:JND
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The seat-sharing formula among the parties of the INDIA bloc in Bihar has hit a roadblock as JDU has asserted that it will not leave the 16 Lok Sabha seats it has won in the 2019 general elections. The JDU has asked other parties of the Mahagathbandhan, including Congress, RJD and Left parties to allocate the remaining 24 seats among themselves.

The JDU's assertion has posed a dilemma for RJD, as it has to balance the demands of its alliance partners and its own interests. Left parties have sought nine seats and Congress has presented a list of 10 seats, which they want to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

If the demands of Congress and the Left are met, then RJD will be left with only five seats, which is unacceptable for the party by any chance. Moreover, JDU has warned that if RJD wants to keep them in the INDIA bloc at the national level, it should not interfere with the seats they won in the last general elections. 

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JDU has stayed away from the seat-sharing negotiations, citing the huge gap between the demand and number of seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Left parties performed well in Arrah and Begusarai, where they secured second place. They also came third or fourth in other seats.

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CPI has claimed three key seats including Begusarai, Madhubani and Banka. Banka is currently held by JDU and CPI did not contest from there in the last polls. Begusarai is considered a traditional stronghold of CPI, where its popular candidate Kanhaiya Kumar came second in 2019.

Notably, the history of Left parties shows that they often resort to friendly contests on many seats, even after forming an alliance, if they do not get their desired seats. For instance, in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, RJD had given the Arrah seat to CPI(ML), but fielded its own candidate against it in Siwan.