Bihar: VIP seeks respectable share in seat allocation in Grand Alliance

Patna, June 28 (IANS) The Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) has reiterated its demand for a respectable number of seats in the upcoming seat-sharing discussions within the Grand Alliance (INDIA bloc) in Bihar ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections.

Dev Jyoti, VIP’s national spokesperson, stated that the party’s chief Mukesh Sahani is like an elder brother, while Tejashwi Yadav is the younger brother in the coalition, and expressed confidence that VIP will receive a fair share of seats during negotiations.

“We had suggested to our leader Mukesh Sahani that we should contest on 60 seats. The bigger the number, the bigger the share. But the decision has to be taken by the elder brother and the younger brother. We are confident of getting satisfactory seats after the seat-sharing formula is finalised,” Dev Jyoti told IANS.

Dev Jyoti highlighted the VIP’s strong presence in north Bihar, particularly in Tirhut and Mithilanchal, citing the party’s past electoral performances in Bochaha, Simri Bakhtiyarpur, and Kurhani.

“These votes come on the face of Mukesh Sahani. We brought over 20,000 votes in Bochaha. In Kurhani, if we had 1,000 more votes, the BJP would have lost to the RJD. We deserve respectable seats for the support we bring to the alliance,” he asserted.

The VIP was initially part of the Grand Alliance during the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections but exited after seat-sharing disputes with Tejashwi Yadav-led RJD.

Mukesh Sahani had accused Tejashwi of backstabbing the VIP and subsequently joined hands with the BJP, contesting on 11 seats and winning 4, though Sahani himself lost his seat.

Dev Jyoti’s remarks came shortly after he attended a joint INDIA bloc press conference in Patna, indicating renewed alignment of the VIP with the Grand Alliance, while also emphasising that clarity in seat-sharing will be essential to avoid past tensions.

The VIP’s insistence on respectable seats signals potential pressure points within the alliance as it seeks to forge unity against the NDA in Bihar while managing regional partners' aspirations.

--IANS

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