India, Oct. 20 -- The Mahagathbandhan appears to be a divided house with days left for the Bihar legislative assembly polls: In multiple seats, coalition members have fielded candidates against each other, even as the window for withdrawal of nominations to the first phase shuts today. The unsettled state is likely to continue as allies fail to balance their ambitions with the larger goal of putting up a united front to win office. At least three reasons can be listed to explain the chaos within the alliance. First, a leadership crisis. Though each of its constituents - the RJD, Congress, CPI-ML, CPI, CPM and the Vikassheel Insaan Party - has a clear leader, the Mahagathbandhan seems to lack a singular face who commands respect across party lines, and is capable of assuaging political differences and egos and negotiating a seat deal. The alliance partners seem reluctant to project RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face, fearing the NDA's negative campaign against Yadav. Second, all parties are eyeing the post-poll scene and are focussed on enhancing their tallies rather than working around a common goal. For instance, the Congress, buoyed by the large crowd that Rahul Gandhi attracted during his Vote Adhikar Yatra, is unwilling to scale down its ambitions. Local units may have forced their central leaderships to leave the nitty-gritty of seat deals to state leaders. Three, the absence of a coherent statewide narrative - a joint manifesto is reportedly in the works - has meant that each party is unto itself, reducing the polls to a seat-by-seat affair, with local factors, particularly the choice of candidate overriding pan-state agendas. The hard truth is that polls have become complex managerial events, to the advantage of parties with substantial economic and organisational resources, and the ability to go into the finer details. The absence of a narrative, clear leadership, and a united front can hurt the Mahagathbandhan's prospects, especially since the NDA is better placed on these, even if dissension is roiling its campaign as well....