Lalu says wouldn’t attend Ayodhya consecration ceremony, seat sharing deal soon

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday said he would not attend the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya’s Ram temple on January 22 even as he underlined matters such as seat sharing are not decided in haste.

“No, I will not go,” he told reporters when asked about his participation in the ceremony. He said the seat-sharing talks within the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) ahead of the 2024 national were going on. “It would take some time before a final picture emerges,” he said responding to the queries about a delay in the seat sharing. “It does not happen so fast.”

Yadav evaded queries on the speculation of a rift between RJD and ally Janata Dal (United) or JD(U). Chief minister Nitish Kumar is reported to be upset over the delay in seat-sharing arrangements. Kumar has called for an early seat-sharing deal, especially in Bihar, which sends the third most (40) lawmakers to Parliament.

The JD(U) is believed to be demanding 17 seats, insisting it should get all seats it won in 2019 and leaving the rest for RJD, Congress, and three Left parties.

A Left party leader said the poll arithmetic and formula of seats of the 2019 parliamentary polls cannot be applied to the 2024 polls. He added JD(U) was in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party five years back. “There are issues of seat swapping but we feel, it would be sorted out.” The leader said that RJD should decide their share of seats.

An RJD leader said the deal was almost final. “The formula is similar to what it was in earlier polls. We are working on it.” The RJD has proposed a formula of 17 seats each for JD(U) and RJD and the remaining to other allies.

The RJD is the biggest party in Bihar’s ruling alliance with 79 members in the 243-member House.