Vikassheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahni turns up heat on INDIA bloc
(VIP) chief
Mukesh Sahni
has stirred unease within the
INDIA alliance
in Bihar with his demand for 60 assembly seats and the deputy CM post, should the bloc come to power.
Sahni, who has been attending coordination meetings of the alliance, claimed on Thursday that the
Nishad community
and related sub-castes constitute around 12% of Bihar's population and deserve representation accordingly. He reiterated his long-standing demand for SC status and a special reservation for the Nishad community.
He also claimed that had VIP received more seats and the deputy CM post in the last assembly election, the RJD-led alliance would have won.
His repeated assertions have unsettled allies, with several Congress and RJD leaders publicly stating that seat-sharing talks have yet to begin and Sahni should refrain from making unilateral claims.
In 2020, Sahni dramatically quit the opposition alliance to join the NDA, winning 4 out of 11 seats contested. He left the NDA in 2022 after being removed as a minister in the state government.
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