Mahagathbandhan leaders to discuss Lok Sabha election seat sharing today

RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha may also formally become a constituent of the Mahagathbandhan.

Pic Courtesy: Twitter/yadavtejashwi

Amid the apparent rift within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over seat sharing in Bihar for Lok Sabha elections 2019, the constituents of the Magathbandhan are slated to meet in the national capital on Thursday. The meeting, which will be attended by the representatives of the Congress party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), among others, is scheduled to begin at 4 pm.

According to news agency ANI, the meeting is likely to be chaired by Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Some reports also said that Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha, who recently parted ways with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA, may also formally announce his induction into the Mahagathbandhan.

When asked about the possibility of Kushwaha’s RLSP becoming a part of the united opposition in Bihar, RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav said that they had already invited the former NDA constituent if he wants “good for the country”.

“Things will be clear by evening, you'll get to know. Have invited people in past too. If Upendra Kushwaha ji wants good for country, we've invited him,” said the Yadav scion.

He added, “There have been attempts to crush regional parties, even Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) isn't happy with Modi ji's faction and that proves the fact.”

The meeting of the Mahagathbandhan comes a day after Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP set a deadline of December 31 for the BJP to finalise the seat sharing agreement for NDA constituents in Bihar. Making an official announcement about the same, LJP leader Pashupati Kumar Paras asked the BJP to “maintain the sanctity of the coalition”, adding that the “time is running out now”.

“We definitely want seats from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh as well, as our vote bank exists in these states. Time is running out now. We want Amit Shah to finalise this by December 31. We want them (BJP) to maintain the sanctity of the coalition,” the LJP leader said on Wednesday.

Prior to that, Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag Paswan had taken to Twitter to assert the demand, pointing that the NDA was "at a critical juncture" after the departure of the Telugu Desam Party and the RLSP.

“After the exit of TDP and RLSP, the NDA is at a critical juncture. The BJP should act on the issues of other allies and resolve them in a respectful manner before it’s too late,” he had said.