Rahul Gandhi with Tejashwi Yadav
Credit: PTI Photo
Patna: The CPI and CPI(M) on Friday demanded a total of 35 seats in the upcoming Bihar polls as part of the Mahagathbandhan, stressing the need for the opposition alliance to finalise the seat-sharing agreement without delay.
The two Left parties also demanded that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav be declared the chief ministerial face of the alliance as soon as possible.
While the CPI demanded 24 seats, the CPI(M) sought 11 seats to contest the elections as part of the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, which also comprises the Congress and CPIML (Liberation), among others.
Addressing a press conference, CPI state secretary Ram Naresh Pandey said, "The big parties in Mahagathbandhan will have to sacrifice a few of their seats in favour of CPI and CPI(M)." He also announced that CPI and CPI(M) will hold joint conferences in all districts to ensure their cadres "verify the authenticity of deletions in the final voters' list released by the EC".
CPI(M) state secretary Lalan Choudhary said that any further delay in the seat-sharing talks will be "dangerous" for the state and the alliance.
"We are parties with reliable grassroots cadre, strong organisational capacity, and firm ideological control over our workers. Over the last five years, we have worked consistently on the ground to mobilise our cadre to remove the NDA government from power. If we contest on a greater number of seats, Mahagathbandhan will benefit," he said.
Choudhary said the strike rate of the two parties was impressive in the 2020 assembly elections.
CPI had won two of the six seats it contested, while CPI(M) secured two of the four seats it fielded candidates, he said.
"Even in the constituencies where we did not win, the margin of defeat was narrow," he added.
The two leaders claimed that they have already urged for a meeting of the coordination committee to finalise the seat-sharing arrangement.
"However, our demand has not been considered yet. So far, we have only received verbal assurances from the big parties in the Mahagathbandhan," Pandey said.
"Our parties rely primarily on financial support from the poor and the marginalised sections. Therefore, we require adequate time to reach out to the people and consolidate their support," he said.
Elections to the 243-member Bihar assembly are expected to be announced in a few weeks.