RLJP, JMM to Join INDIA Bloc for Bihar Assembly Polls; Seat-Sharing Talks Progress

The Pasupati Kumar Paras-led Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will contest the upcoming Bihar assembly elections as part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), leaders confirmed after a meeting at Opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s residence on Saturday.

Under the arrangement, the RLJP will receive seats along with other coalition partners such as the RJD, Congress, Left parties, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), while JMM will be accommodated from the RJD’s quota.

Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram said the seat-sharing meeting was “cordial” and that a broad consensus has been reached. He indicated that all major partners will likely cede some ground compared to the 2020 elections, given the inclusion of two to three new parties in the bloc.

In 2020, the RJD contested 144 seats, Congress 70, CPI(ML) 19, CPI six and CPM four. Sources suggest that this time the RJD may settle for 122–124 seats, Congress 58–62, Left parties 31–33, VIP 20–22, RLJP 5–7 and JMM 2–3.

The RLJP, which broke away from the NDA after being sidelined in the last Lok Sabha polls, had won three seats under the BJP-led alliance in 2020. VIP, which contested 11 seats and won four, also later saw most of its MLAs join the BJP.

JMM spokesperson Bablu Pandey said the understanding with the RJD follows the “Jharkhand model,” where JMM and Congress shared seats, with JMM receiving allocations from the Congress quota.

While seat-sharing dominated Saturday’s discussions, leaders said the RJD is also planning a state-wide yatra from September 15, modeled on Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra. Details, however, are yet to be finalized.