"No such thing as friendly fight": Bihar Minister Santosh Suman hits out at Mahagathbandhan over seat-sharing row

Patna (Bihar) [India], October 21 (ANI): Bihar Minister Santosh Suman on Tuesday hit out at the opposition Mahagathbandhan as the alliance eluded to share the clear picture of their seat-sharing pact.
As the Congress and RJD are set to witness 'friendly fight' on some seats, the Bihar Minister said that there is no such thing as a friendly fight and Mahagathbandhan is broken.
Speaking to ANI, Santosh Suman said, "There is no such thing as a friendly fight. Mahagathbandhan is half broken... The opposition, particularly the RJD and Congress do not have a solid alliance. Candidates are fighting against each other... Bihar's public does not trust Rahul Gandhi. He just comes here for political tourism and leaves."
On Monday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) released its list of 143 candidates, effectively concluding prolonged seat-sharing talks within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. However, the alliance suffered a blow as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally withdrew from the elections.
With this announcement, the shape of the Mahagathbandhan alliance is also clear, with RJD contesting 143, Congress 61, CPI ML 20 and the remaining likely to go to Mukesh Sahani's VIP.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which earlier announced to contest alone on six seats in the Bihar assembly elections, on Monday withdrew from the polls. The announcement was formally made by senior JMM leader and minister Sudivya Kumar.
"With great regret, JMM is compelled to state that the party will not be participating in this election. The political cunning of the leading party in the Bihar alliance has harmed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. It has shattered our aspiration to contest the elections in Bihar," Sudivya Kumar told reporters.
The 2025 Bihar Elections will have the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan.
NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
The Mahagathbandhan led by Rashtriya Janata Dal includes the Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state.
Polling in the Bihar 2025 elections is scheduled to take place on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI)