RANCHI, Oct. 12 -- The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the lead partner in the incumbent INDIA bloc government in the state, demanded on Saturday that the alliance leaders finalise the seat-sharing formula for the Bihar assembly elections by October 15, after which the Hemant Soren-led party would be free to take any decision on contesting the polls. Party insiders said the JMM has called its central committee meeting on October 15 to decide on the candidature for the Bihar assembly elections and the Ghatshila assembly by-poll in the state. Addressing a press conference at the party's state headquarters, JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said, "Nominations started on October 10 and will end on October 17 for the first phase. No nominations can be filed on Sunday. So effectively, we would be left with two days before our meeting. We are receiving several applications for the seats that we have identified to contest. So we appeal to the lead partners in the INDIA bloc in Bihar to decide on seat sharing before October 15. If a respectable number of seats are not allotted to us by then, we won't sit idly with folded hands and would proceed with our process and take a decision in the central committee." The JMM leader underlined that they are eyeing around 12 seats to contest in Bihar, which is a similar proportion to what the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) was allocated in the Jharkhand assembly elections. Bhattacharya further stated that the JMM had been showing a big heart in accommodating the RJD in the alliance in Jharkhand and expects a reciprocal gesture from the Lalu Prasad-led party. "In 2019, we allocated seven seats to the RJD, but they could win only one. Despite that, we ensured that the lone legislator was a minister for the entire five-year tenure. In 2024, RJD was given six seats, which is around five per cent of the total seats. We are expecting a similar calculation and want to contest around 12 seats in Bihar," Bhattacharya added. The JMM is the leading partner in the INDIA Bloc alliance in Jharkhand, followed by the Congress and RJD. According to speculative seats formula that doing rounds in various circles, smaller partners like JMM and others are being offered 2-5 seats and the deal is stuck because of bigger partners like Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) and others claiming for a bigger share in the final arrangement. Insiders have stated that a two-member JMM team, led by urban development minister Sudivya Kumar, met the Leader of Opposition in Bihar and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav earlier this week to put forward their expectations regarding seat sharing....