With the third meeting of the national Opposition I.N.D.I.A. - commencing in Mumbai on Thursday - likely to discuss seat-sharing formula for next year's Lok Sabha elections, there is a buzz in Bihar that the Mahagathbandhan may opt for the formula adopted by the NDA in 2019.
At that time, JD-U was part of the NDA. In the general elections, the bigger parties like the BJP and the JD-U had contested 17 seats each in Bihar, while the Ram Vilash Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party were given the six remaining seats.
This time, the two big political forces in Bihar -- the RJD and the JD-U -- are in the camp of Mahagathbandhan and they may contest 17 seats each, with four seats going to the Congress, and one each to CPI and CPI-ML, the remaining constituents of the grand alliance.
Mahagathbandhan leaders are also waiting for Mukesh Sahani and Pappu Yadav to take a final call. If they join the I.N.D.I.A., the RJD and the JD-U will give one seat each from their share to them, sources said.
The sources also said that some of the MPs of the Pasupati Kumar Paras-led Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party are also in touch with Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. If they also join I.N.D.I.A., they will be accommodated by the RJD and JD-U.
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