VIP almost walked out of Mahagatbandhan; stayed after Rahul's intervention

New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) After days of negotiations over seat sharing, Mukesh Sahani-led VIP almost walked out of the Mahagatbandhan on Thursday, but was stopped after top leaders intervened.  According to a source, Sahani, who had been upset over not being given enough space in the coalition, all but exited the alliance.  No dialogue had taken place between the VIP and RJD over the last two days.  The source said Sahani reached out to CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, who, in his turn, then reached out to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and stressed that the VIP must be accommodated.  The sources said Rahul Gandhi discussed the matter with the top RJD leadership and also talked to Sahani.  The interventions led the Vikassheel Insaan Party chief to write a letter to Rahul Gandhi expressing his commitment to the alliance.   In the letter, the VIP chief said that he was assured of being given a certain number of seats, which was not fulfilled.  He said the numbers do not matter, as they are a part of the alliance due to ideology, and wish to fight against communal and divisive forces, the source said.  Sahni is a leader of the Nishad community in Bihar, which constitutes around 2.5 per cent of the state's population.

He is seen as a leader capable of influencing voters across multiple constituencies, even though he has seen limited electoral wins. PTI AO      VN VN