The campaign for the Bihar assembly elections is in full swing, but consensus on seat sharing in the Grand Alliance remains elusive. Left parties, feeling the delay in seat distribution, have voiced their displeasure. Leaders of CPI and CPM addressed the media together on Thursday, emphasizing the need for a swift decision on seat sharing to avoid impacts on their election strategy.
CPI is demanding 24 seats this time around, whereas CPM is seeking 11 seats. In the 2020 assembly elections, CPI had secured 6 seats and CPM 4. However, both parties now assert that they've expanded their grassroots support and thus deserve a larger share of the seats.
The left parties urged the major allies within the Grand Alliance to show magnanimity and sacrifice. They indicated that delays in seat sharing could disadvantage left parties, which rely on public funding for elections. CPI and CPM stress that they are pivotal in transferring votes to the coalition and have built their base by highlighting on-ground issues.
CPI-CPM clarified that they've put forward their demands in the Grand Alliance's coordination committee and anticipate a respectful allocation of seats. They also made it clear that announcing Tejashwi Yadav as the CM candidate would be crucial for entering the elections.
