India, Oct. 12 -- The ongoing seat-sharing negotiations in Bihar's Opposition Mahagathbandhan have encountered a temporary stalemate, largely because of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) adopting a firm stance on its seat demands. And this in spite of both the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) showing the willingness to contest around 10% fewer seats than they did in the previous Assembly elections. Despite this conciliatory move to maintain the unity of the alliance, the Mahagathbandhan is finding it difficult to finalise a seat-sharing formula.

According to sources, several rounds of discussion were held last week, but no conclusive agreement was reached. A senior leader within the alliance informed The Sunday Guardian that t...