“We are prepared but maybe there are some 40-odd seats where we think that we can even contest. We would like to spread the net wide. Maybe south Bihar and even in north Bihar. For example, Mithila region, last time we didn’t contest a single seat in Darbhanga and Madhubani. We only contested two seats in Samastipur. Even in, let’s say, Champaran, we contested only one seat. I think we need more seats there. May not be that much in East Bihar,” the Left party leader added.The Mahagathbandhan, which includes the RJD, Congress, and other Left parties, fell just short of a majority in the last election with 110 out of 243 seats.The return of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) to the alliance adds another layer to the ongoing seat-sharing discussions, with at least three rounds of talks already held. Bhattacharya expects a final agreement within two months.The elections in the state are scheduled for later this year.On the theme of campaigning in the state, Bhattacharya said that failed governance, crime and unemployment are going to be at the core of the upcoming elections.“This time around, it should be a decisive kind of mandate… There will be some kind of a definitely common campaign and common programme… The agenda for Bihar elections is quite given. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had talked about development, good governance. But whatever he said, I think now the ground reality is just the opposite. Acute poverty, massive unemployment, massive out-migration, the education and the healthcare system is in a complete mess,” he said.
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