Grand Alliance's second meeting to be held on April 24 at Sadaqat Ashram in Patna

Patna, April 19 (IANS) After the first Coordination Committee meeting of the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) was held, preparations are now in full swing for the second round of discussions, which will take place on April 24 at the Congress state headquarters, Sadaqat Ashram, in Patna.

The meeting will be attended by the Coordination Committee Chairman Tejashwi Yadav, State Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru, State Congress President Rajesh Ram, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) Chief Mukesh Sahani, and representatives of the Left parties, including CPI-ML, CPI, and CPI-M.

According to Congress sources, this meeting will focus on preparations for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, strategising a joint campaign across the state and launching a mass movement against the state government starting in May, with joint rallies and programmes planned across districts.

While the final seat-sharing formula will not be determined in this meeting, parties are expected to present their initial seat demands, paving the way for negotiations.

The Vikassheel Insaan Party, which was not part of the Grand Alliance in the 2020 Assembly elections, is now included -- necessitating an adjustment in the previous seat-sharing arrangement.

As per the seat-sharing formula among the constituent parties of the Grand Alliance in 2020, RJD contested on 144 seats, Congress: 70, CPI-ML: 19, CPI: 6 and CPI(M): 4.

As the VIP is included in the Grand Alliance, their seats are expected to reduce.

A Congress leader confirmed that no decision will be taken on the chief ministerial face in the upcoming meeting, reiterating the party's stance, as expressed by Krishna Allavaru during the April 17 session.

However, RJD leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha and state spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari, have continued to assert that Tejashwi Yadav will be the chief ministerial face of the Grand Alliance.

Their remarks made a day after the April 17 meeting, are being seen as an indirect pushback to Allavaru's neutral stand.

Despite the pressure, the Congress maintains its position that the CM candidate will be decided at a later stage, possibly closer to the upcoming Assembly elections.

The April 24 meeting is expected to lay the groundwork for unified campaign efforts while highlighting the emerging tussle over leadership projection within the alliance.

--IANS

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