Bihar election: Ashok Gehlot meets Lalu Yadav amid seat-sharing row

Senior Congress leader ashok gehlot on Wednesday met RJD president Lalu Prasad amid seat-sharing row ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. He apparently met him to defuse tensions with the ally, which has plunged the INDIA bloc into turmoil in poll-bound Bihar.

Soon after meeting him, Gehlot said winning Bihar was "extremely important" for the opposition alliance, after having been drubbed in a crucial state like Maharashtra, but evaded a direct reply when asked whether the Congress was ready to declare the RJD supremo's son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate.

 Why do you want me to make such an announcement?" snapped the former Rajasthan CM when journalists asked him about the Congress' stand on Yadav, who had recently urged the people to make Rahul Gandhi "the next prime minister".

Gehlot said, "You have seen the chemistry between Rahul and Tejashwi during the Voter Adhikar Yatra two months ago when the two leaders travelled across the state. They will take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time".

Will Congress back Tejashwi Yadav as CM candidate?

Speculation is rife that the Congress’ reluctance to back Yadav, who has been campaigning for a "Tejashwi sarkar", has irked its larger regional ally.

Out of the 243 seats in the Bihar assembly, the RJD and Congress are contesting 143 and 61, respectively, but both parties are headed for a "friendly fight" in at least five constituencies.

Congress candidates are also up against the CPI, another alliance partner, in three other seats. However, Gehlot, who had upon arrival in the city told reporters at the airport "a friendly fight in five or ten seats was no big deal", said after meeting Prasad, "we hope things will be ironed out by the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers tomorrow".

However, five of these seats fall in the first phase, for which the deadline for withdrawal ended on Monday.

Gehlot, who was accompanied by Krishna Allavaru, the AICC Bihar in-charge, who is being blamed by a section of party leaders in the state for messing things up, insisted that the Congress was serious about the assembly polls in a state where it has ceased to be a major player.

Bihar polls will set the tone for national politics

"It is extremely important for us to win the polls. More so after the alliance of which Congress was a part lost Maharashtra. The Bihar polls will set the tone for national politics. It is essential that the NDA, which has caused divisions in society and messed up the economy, gets a setback. The people of Bihar are wise enough to realise this," Gehlot said.