RJD talks tough with Congress on seat sharing

Even before any formal announcement of a pre-poll alliance between the Congress, RJD and LJP in Bihar for the 2014 general elections, problems have started cropping up regarding seat sharing among parties.

A senior RJD leader on Monday snubbing the "inflated" claims by parties, said they should come out with the names of their candidates first and only then it would be decided whether those candidates have any potential to win or not.

"Come out with the name of your 'pahelwan' (potential candidate) for the the seat you claim, then only based on a real assessment, the seat will be given to a particular party," RJD vice-president Raghubansh Prasad Singh told reporters in Patna.

"This time it will not be like a seat is allocated and then you start looking for a candidate... One has to come out with a name, and then only a claim on any seat will be entertained," Singh, a RJD MP from Vaishali, said, adding the criteria was applicable for all possible alliance partners.

In the 2009 elections, when the LJP fought the elections with RJD minus the Congress, it was given 12 seats. But, none of the LJP nominees including its president Ramvilas Paswan, could romp home.

Though there is no official word on seat allocations, among secular alliance partners, there has been reports of growing unrest among parties other than RJD.

Talking tough, Singh said, "We cannot accept anyone as candidate among alliance partners as the coming elections is crucial to check communal forces led by Narendra Modi."