Patna: Political uncertainty deepened within Bihar’s Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) on Thursday as seat-sharing negotiations hit a wall, largely over Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni’s dissatisfaction. With just a day left for filing nominations for the first phase of the Assembly elections, the alliance is yet to finalise its seat distribution, fueling speculation of internal discord.
A Day of Political Drama
The drama began late Wednesday night when Grand Alliance leaders held marathon discussions past 1 a.m. without reaching a consensus on seat allocation.
By Thursday morning, Mukesh Sahni switched off his phone, making himself unreachable to key leaders. Around 10 a.m., he suddenly announced a press conference at noon, only for it to be postponed multiple times throughout the day.
At 11 a.m., the VIP announced that Sahni had received a call from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, pushing the press conference to 2 p.m. However, the situation only grew more chaotic — by 12:30 p.m., reports emerged of a scuffle among VIP leaders, and at 1:30 p.m., senior leader Dr. Sunil claimed seat-sharing talks were still underway, moving the press briefing to 4 p.m. It was later rescheduled to 6 p.m., and eventually called off altogether.
These repeated postponements and internal clashes indicate growing tension within the alliance.
Why Is Mukesh Sahni Upset?
Over the past 24 hours, both Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav have reportedly tried to pacify Sahni, but his discontent persists for three key reasons:
1. Congress’ Silence on Seat Allocation
A senior VIP leader told Bhaskar that Sahni had reached an understanding with a top Congress leader in Delhi. As per the agreement, VIP was to receive eight seats from the Congress quota and ten from the RJD’s. However, the Congress has not clarified which eight constituencies it will relinquish, causing frustration within the VIP camp.
Sahni fears he might be handed weak or unwinnable constituencies such as Digha and Bankipur at the last minute, which he sees as an attempt to sideline his party.
2. Demand for CM and Deputy CM Announcements
Sahni is also upset over the leadership ambiguity within the Grand Alliance. While a formula of three Deputy Chief Ministers was discussed earlier, the Congress has not endorsed Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial face.
Sahni has repeatedly demanded that Tejashwi be declared the CM candidate and that his own position as Deputy CM be announced before the polls. Congress leaders, however, maintain that the decision will be made after the election results.
3. Dispute Over Sahni’s Seat
In the 2020 Assembly elections, Sahni contested from Simri Bakhtiyarpur in Saharsa as an NDA candidate but lost to RJD’s Yusuf Salauddin, son of senior Congress leader Mehboob Ali Kaiser. Sahni wants to contest from the same seat again, calling it strategically strong due to its Muslim-Yadav voter base.
However, Tejashwi Yadav has reportedly denied him the constituency, asking him to shift to Gaura Bauram in Darbhanga — Sahni’s home region. Despite it being considered his native turf, Sahni has refused to contest from there, leaving his candidature in limbo.
The Seat-Sharing Tug of War
As per preliminary discussions, VIP was expected to get around 22–25 seats, including 8 from Congress and 10 from RJD, while some RJD candidates would contest under the VIP symbol in both phases. Despite reducing his demand from 40 to 14 seats, Sahni has held firm on the demand for the Deputy CM post, leading to a deadlock.
Meanwhile, multiple constituencies are seeing overlapping claims between RJD, Congress, and Left allies:
- Congress vs RJD: Jaale, Vaishali, Lalganj, and Warisaliganj
- Congress vs CPI/CPM: Bachhwara, Matihani, and Rajgir
- RJD vs CPI: Bahadurpur
Such overlapping claims highlight a broader lack of coordination within the Grand Alliance, especially when the NDA has already finalised and announced its candidates across all constituencies.
Tejashwi Prepares for Contingency
Sources say RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has already prepared a contingency plan in case Mukesh Sahni walks out of the alliance. IP Gupta of the Indian Inclusive Party, who represents the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), could be brought in as Sahni’s replacement. The two leaders met earlier this week, suggesting that discussions are already underway.
Before entering politics, Mukesh Sahni was a set designer in Mumbai’s film industry. In 2018, he launched the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), positioning it as a voice for Bihar’s Nishad (fisherman) community.
Now, just hours before the nomination deadline, the alliance faces its toughest internal crisis yet. Whether Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav can persuade Sahni to stay on board — and under what terms — may well determine the Grand Alliance’s cohesion and credibility in the upcoming Bihar elections.
