New Delhi, Reminding the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of its commitment made during the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Congress on Sunday openly demanded a Rajya Sabha seat from it in Bihar.
However, the Congress open letter by Shakti Singh Gohil, party’s in-charge for Bihar, to RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav also indicates the level of relationship between the two parties.
During the Lok Sabha elections, the RJD leader had said the party would leave one Rajya Sabha seat for a Congress leader from Bihar, Gohil said. He also reminded Yadav of the saying in Hindi — Pran jaye per vachan na jaye (Word is important than life).
Gohil also assured Yadav that the Congress nominee would be from Bihar only.
In the Rajya Sabha elections, scheduled on March 23, the Congress hopes to get one seat but as the RJD has indicated its unwillingness to concede a seat, Gohil resorted to writing an open letter.
Of the 55 Uppar House members retiring, 13 are from the Congress. The party is likely to win two seats each from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and one seat each from Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The Congress, eyeing second seat from Maharashtra and one seat from Bihar, is bargaining hard with allies to cut its loss to 11.
The Congress is also in talks with the DMK for one seat in Tamil Nadu. It’s also hoping for a seat from West Bengal, but is yet to decide. Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress announced four candidates on Sunday.
