Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh who was in favour of an alliance with Lalu Prasad's RJD, on Sunday met LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan triggering speculation that the three parties have in principle agreed to come together to fight the next Lok Sabha polls in Bihar.
Singh had earlier also spoken to RJD chief Lalu Prasad. Both LJP and RJD have been praising Congress and making it clear that they want the ruling party to be an integral part of the "secular alliance" in Bihar, having 40 parliamentary seats. Sources in Congress said that under the formula being discussed for the pre-poll tie up, RJD could contest on 20 Lok Sabha seats, Congress ten, LJP eight and NCP two.
However, sources in the RJD say that the party, which is major constituent in the proposed alliance, is keen to contest on around 25 seats, leaving five to six for LJP, seven for Congress one for NCP and one for CPI(ML).
Hard bargaining is expected in coming days before an alliance is finally stitched for the crucial Hindi state. RJD has fought on 28 Lok Sabha seats in the last polls, including the three which it had earlier proposed to give to Congress.
Paswan whose party had contested the last Lok Sabha polls in alliance with RJD minus Congress was dropping broad indications of his party warming up to Lalu Prasad's arch rival JD (U). Bihar chief minister and senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and Paswan have a few days back praised each other, triggering speculation that both the parties can come together for a tie up in Bihar scripting an altogether new alignment of political forces.
Paswan has however maintained all this time that while its tie up with Congress is final, a decision to include Lalu Prasad's RJD and JD(U) is something on which Congress has to take a call. He had also made it clear that there are two views in his party on the issue of alliance in Bihar with one section favouring to go with RJD while the other wanting an alliance with JD(U).
The LJP chief had at the same time said that he has no complaints against Lalu Prasad but there are some leaders in RJD whose statements have hurt the LJP workers. He was apparently referring to senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh's remark asking the LJP to declare its candidates and suggesting it to focus on winning more seats rather than contesting more seats.
Congress, LJP and RJD had fought the 2004 Lok Sabha elections together winning 29 out 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar. However the alliance broke apart in 2009 Lok Sabha polls when RJD decided to offer only three seats to Congress, a decision which Prasad and Paswan has been regretting ever since.
Paswan's party had got eight seats in 2004 with Congress as part of the alliance while it got 12 seats in 2009 when the Congress was out of the alliance. In 2004 despite fighting on eight seats, Paswan's party had won in four.
While LJP could not open its account and even party chief Paswan lost from home turf Hajipur, RJD won only four seats and Congress two. A dominant section in Congress believes that an alliance of the three parties will put them in a strong position to take on Narendra Modi led BJP in the general elections scheduled in April-May.
A few days back Prasad had sought to woo both the parties flagging threat from "communal forces" as a reason why the three should come together to fight the Lok Sabha elections. He had also praised Congress as an "umbrella" organisation of secular forces, which the country needs. He had said that Paswan is a "gentleman" but some people around him are not allowing him to take the right decision.
NCP leader Tariq Anwar who has also been part of the alliance talks among the parties has been contesting from Katihar Parliamentary seat since long. This time, a well known leader of Kushwaha community Nagmani could also contest the other seat on NCP ticket. Kushwaha or Koiris have a fairly good population among the OBCs. Nagmani son of late Jagdeo, a revolutionary caste leader in Bihar has been to many parties in the past.
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