Patna, Sep 9 (IANS) With the Bihar Assembly elections drawing closer, the Congress held a high-level strategy meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday under the leadership of party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

According to party sources, the discussions largely revolved around the seat-sharing formula within the INDIA Bloc, though the leadership refrained from disclosing the exact number of seats the Congress is seeking in the upcoming polls.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Krishna Allavaru, the Bihar in charge of the Congress, said, “We have discussed the seats we want to contest. The seat-sharing negotiation is progressing in the right direction, and positive talks with our alliance partners are underway. Once the talks are finalised, we will reveal the numbers.”

When asked about any deadline for the announcement, Allavaru clarified: “Such issues don’t have deadlines, but we are hopeful the final decision will be taken very soon.”

Allavaru further added that the Congress is also preparing its campaign strategy for Bihar, with senior leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge expected to participate in rallies and outreach programs.

On the possibility of including new partners in the INDIA Bloc, Allavaru confirmed that talks are ongoing.

He mentioned that parties such as Pashupati Paras-led Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) and Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) are under consideration for inclusion in the alliance.

Mohammad Jawaid, Congress MP from Kishanganj, said several pressing issues were flagged to the central leadership.

“We have put several issues like unemployment, mass migration, floods and other challenges of Bihar before the top leadership. These points will form a part of the joint campaign issues in this election,” he said.

In seat-sharing discussions, Jawaid maintained that it was too early to comment.

“We want a respectable number of seats, but it is premature to say the exact figure. Our focus is to give tickets to good candidates so that our strength increases and we can form the government in Bihar,” he added.

Jawaid also asserted that Congress’s base in Bihar has strengthened, citing the enthusiastic response during the recently concluded Voter Adhikar Yatra.

Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram, CLP leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan, former PCC chief Madan Mohan Jha, senior leader Ajay Maken, and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal were among those present in the meeting.

–IANS

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