Addressing media here, RJD Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha said: "On October 1, the notification for the first phase will be issued and by now, we should have agreed on the seat-sharing formula. Even the Leader of Opposition (Tejashwi Yadav) said that we have accommodated the Left parties in our quota."

 

Noting that this elections is not meant to change the government but the future of Bihar, he said: "We appeal to friends in the Congress, as we, despite being the party with a greater hold in Bihar, have accommodated the other parties in our quota. The motto of the fight is very clear, we have to fight for the future of the state."

 

Urging the Congress to decide within 24 hours, Jha said: "We urge the Congress to leave aside the ego and look at the bigger picture in Bihar. They should look at the history of the relation of both the parties in the state."

 

Earlier in the day, in a unexpected move, the Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), which was part of the RJD-led Grand Alliance, announced that it will contest the assembly elections along with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Janwadi Party Socialist.

 

The Election Commission had announced the dates for the Bihar election on Friday. In the first phase, elections to 71 constituencies will take place on October 28, for 94 seats in the second phase on November 3 and the third phase, for the remaining 78 Assembly seats on November 7. Counting of votes will take place on November 10.