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Patna, October 17 (IANS) With the announcement of Bihar assembly election dates, the tussle over seat sharing within the India block has intensified.
However, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni made a surprise announcement on Friday by announcing that he will not contest the assembly elections this time.
Sahni made the announcement along with his brother Santosh Sahni, who had filed his nomination papers from Gaura Bauram assembly constituency in Darbhanga.
Addressing media persons after filing nomination, Sahni said that his primary aim is to ensure the formation of India Block government in Bihar.
Sahni said, “I will not contest elections this time. Our aim is to form our government in Bihar and campaign on all 243 seats. I will work tirelessly to help India Bloc win as many seats as possible. After forming the government, I aspire to become the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and not go to Rajya Sabha.”
He further said that the seat-sharing agreement within the India block will be finalized soon, and all the details will be made public within a day or two.
Party sources have revealed that 15 seats have been allotted to VIP under the alliance.
One Rajya Sabha seat and two MLC seats were also reportedly offered, but Sahni did not comment on it, reiterating his focus on state politics.
Sahni’s announcement appears to have eased the tension within the India Bloc over seat sharing as speculations about him contesting from Gaura Bauram have now been put to rest.
India Bloc in Bihar includes RJD, Congress, CPI-ML, CPI, CPIM and VIP.
Despite the completion of the first phase of nominations, the seat sharing formula has not been officially announced. In such a situation, there is confusion regarding various seats in Bihar.
Such a situation has arisen in the Grand Alliance due to the tough stance of the Congress, which wants to contest on 70 seats in this election.
–IANS
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