VIP chief Sahani bargains hard for more seats, Tejashwi gives him an ‘ultimatum’
Sahani has demanded at least 24 seats for his party, while Tejashwi has clarified that VIP will not get more than 15 seats
With barely a day left for the nomination filing deadline for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly polls to expire, the Mahagathbandhan is facing an imminent collapse over the sharing of seats.
Sahani’s hard bargaining, Tejashwi’s ultimatum
While Mukesh Sahani, the chief of Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP), a constituent of the Opposition bloc, has demanded at least 24 seats for his party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has reportedly given him a final “ultimatum”, making it clear that the former wouldn’t get any more than 15 seats.
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RJD sources told NDTV that while Sahani has been fighting hard for more seats, Tejashwi has now told him that 15 seats is the final offer.
Amid murmurs of his likely exit from the Grand Alliance, Sahani, who was slated to address a press conference at 12 pm on Thursday (October 16), has rescheduled it for 4 pm.
Shifting allegiances
The VIP, founded in 2018, has a strong voter base among the fishermen and boatmen communities of Bihar.
In the 2020 Assembly polls, the VIP initially struck an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan, but later moved to the NDA camp after Sahani didn’t get the desired number of seats. While in NDA, it won four of the 11 seats it contested in 2020. The party later left the NDA after one of the MLAs died, and the three others joined the BJP.
Eyes on more seats, Dy CM post
Sahani, known for his hard-bargaining stunt, has been lobbying for a larger number of seats among the Grand Alliance this time too.
He had earlier claimed that he would be the deputy chief minister if the Opposition Bloc came to power in Bihar, although the alliance has made no such formal announcements.
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A few days ago, one of his cryptic posts on social media triggered rumours of his likely exit from the Mahagathbandhan.
“On November 14th, we will form a government in Bihar where every section of society will receive its rights and respect,” said the post, which also carried Sahni’s photo and his party’s symbol.
While one of his earlier posts featuring a poster had mentioned the Grand Alliance, the current one made no mention of the Opposition bloc, triggering rumours of a possible rift.
Polls to the 243-member Assembly will be held on November 6 and 11, while the results will be declared on November 14.