Patna: As Bihar gears up for its 2025 Assembly elections, tensions within the Mahagathbandhan – the grand alliance of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties – are beginning to surface, with seat-sharing negotiations emerging as a key flashpoint.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, a crucial Left ally, has reiterated its intent to contest 40 to 45 seats, up from the 19 it contested in 2020. CPI (ML) national general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, addressing reporters on Wednesday, asserted that RJD leader Tejashwi remains the alliance’s undisputed chief ministerial candidate.
“If the grand alliance wins, the next chief minister will be Tejashwi,” Bhattacharya declared, reaffirming CPI (ML)’s commitment to the Mahagathbandhan but not without reservations. He openly questioned Congress’s role and performance in the last assembly elections, stating, “Congress was given 70 seats but managed to win only 19. We, on the other hand, won 12 of the 19 seats we contested.”
He argued that had the CPI (ML) been allocated more constituencies in 2020, the Mahagathbandhan might have formed the government. The party’s strong showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where it won two of the three seats it contested, has further emboldened its demand for a greater share this time around.
Bhattacharya also claimed that the alliance partners benefitted from CPI (ML)’s robust grassroots presence. “Wherever CPI (ML) was strong, RJD and Congress also performed well,” he said, adding that the party now has a significant footprint across 24 to 25 districts.
Asked whether he expected the CPI (ML) to be offered parity with Congress in the seat-sharing arrangement, Bhattacharya said, “Congress remains a national party and the principal opposition at the Centre, but everyone knows its ground presence in Bihar is weak. CPI (ML) is known for its strong cadre base and ground-level organisation.”
He stressed that the strength of each party in the Mahagathbandhan should be “utilised strategically” to ensure electoral success.
Reiterating support for Tejashwi, Bhattacharya said the RJD leader is the “declared public face” of the alliance, adding that there is no ambiguity on leadership.
Taking aim at the NDA, Bhattacharya described Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as a “compulsion” for the BJP and dismissed Jan Suraj Party founder Prashant Kishor as “BJP’s B team”.
With the Mahagathbandhan’s internal negotiations heating up, CPI-ML’s assertion signals the growing ambition of smaller but electorally potent allies, and a likely reconfiguration of power dynamics as Bihar inches closer to the polls.
