‘Can’t accept less than 12-13 seats’, RJD increases tension of India alliance on seat sharing in Jharkhand!

Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024: Before the Jharkhand Assembly elections, a dispute had come to light between the partners of the India Alliance. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had expressed disappointment on Saturday (October 19) over the announcement by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress to contest on 70 out of 81 assembly seats. On Sunday (October 20), another statement of RJD MP Manoj Jha has come out, in which he said that we will not accept less than 12-13 seats.

RJD MP Manoj Jha said that we have a strong hold on 18-20 seats in Jharkhand, we will not accept less than 12-13 seats. However, he also said that our only objective is to defeat BJP, we will not harm India alliance but even if we contest elections alone in Jharkhand, we will support India alliance candidates on 60-62 seats.

Earlier, during a conversation with a news agency, Manoj Jha said about the seat distribution of India Alliance, “You are stuck in numbers, we are busy in winning, there is still a difference in some decisions, that too will be resolved.”

Earlier on Saturday, Manoj Jha, on behalf of RJD, had said that the announcement of seat agreement by both the components of India Alliance is one-sided. He clarified that he has kept all options open.

‘We have all options open’
MP Jha said, “We were not consulted. All options are open to us.” He said that RJD has identified at least 15 to 18 seats in Jharkhand where it can defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party on its own. Jha said that senior RJD leaders including Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav held a meeting in Ranchi.

‘Can’t dismiss the sentiments of your supporters’
He said, proper consultation process should be followed before announcing the seats. No party can ignore the sentiments of its voters and supporters. We have enough strength.

RJD had won one seat in the last elections
Earlier in the day on Saturday (October 20), Chief Minister Hemant Soren had announced that JMM and Congress will contest on 70 seats in the upcoming assembly elections. Let us tell you that in the last assembly elections, RJD had contested on seven seats, out of which it came second on five. In the last assembly elections held in 2019, RJD had won one seat. Party MLA Satyanand Bhokta is a minister in the Hemant Soren cabinet.