The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), led by Lalu Prasad, voiced its dissatisfaction on Sunday over the seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections. The party has demanded no fewer than 12 constituencies, yet remains committed to the INDIA bloc, even if it opts to contest alone. RJD spokesperson Manoj Kumar Jha emphasized that despite playing a crucial role in forming the INDIA bloc and making sacrifices in previous elections, the partys demands and sentiments in Jharkhand were disregarded. Fissures have surfaced in the INDIA bloc as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress on Saturday announced their decision to contest 70 of the 81 assembly seats together as the state braced up for the forthcoming assembly polls. The rest of the 11 seats will be shared between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and left parties, said Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the presence of Jharkhand Congress in-charge Gulam Ahmad Mir, and senior state minister Rameshwar Oraon. RJD, however, is not said to be happy over the announcement of seat sharing among the INDIA bloc. RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha while talking to the media persons in Ranchi, said that the way JMM and the Congress unilaterally decided on the alliance is not right. According to Jha, despite Tejashwi Yadav being present in Ranchi, he was not informed about the announcement to be made regarding the alliance Jharkhand will vote in two phases on November 13 and 20. Votes will be counted on November 23. The announcement was made following a meeting between the senior JMM and the Congress leaders to put up a united front against the ruling BJP. According to Congress insiders, the 11 seats reserved for the RJD and left parties are for the segments where they have a strong presence. The leaders believe that this collaborative effort will consolidate voter support and establish a robust opposition front, they said.

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