The fault lines in the INDIA bloc deepened in Bihar on Friday, with the RJD pushing ahead with the distribution of tickets among its candidates for the Lok Sabha polls without any announcement of a seat-sharing agreement with the allies.

The party has so far distributed tickets for at least 12 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The RJD gave tickets to candidates for Jehanabad (Surendra Prasad Yadav), Banka (Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav), Madhubani (Ali Ashraf Fatmi) and Darbhanga (Lalit Yadav). It has also decided to field party chief Lalu Prasad’s daughters Misa Bharti and Rohini Acharya from the Pataliputra and Saran Lok Sabha seats, respectively.

Misa is a Rajya Sabha member and had lost from Pataliputra to incumbent MP Ram Kripal Yadav in 2014 and 2019. Rohini, who lives in Singapore with her husband and children, shot into the limelight when she donated one of her kidneys to Lalu in 2022.

RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwary told The Telegraph: “Our party is finalising winnable candidates for the seats and giving them tickets. INDIA is intact and will contest all 40 seats in the state with full strength. Our aim is to defeat the BJP.”

Taking a cue from the senior partner in Bihar, CPI general secretary D. Raja announced that the Left party would contest the Begusarai seat. “Former MLA Awadhesh Kumar Rai will be our candidate,” Raja said.

The Congress had demanded the Begusarai seat and wanted to field Kanhaiya Kumar, who joined the party in 2021 after quitting the CPI.

The Congress appeared puzzled by the developments and its Bihar president Akhilesh Prasad Singh evaded questions on the emerging situation. “I do not know. Based on the discussions with RJD leaders yesterday, I feel that the entire issue will be resolved in a day or two,” Akhilesh said.