Chaos at Patna airport as Bihar Congress leaders are heckled by party cadre

There were chaotic scenes at Patna airport this evening shortly after Congress state president Rajesh Ram, Bihar Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru, and senior leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan returned from Delhi following seat-sharing discussions.

Congress workers from the Bikram assembly constituency confronted the leaders when they arrived, alleging corruption in ticket distribution. The sitting MLA from Bikram is Siddharth Saurabh, who recently switched to the BJP and has been made the candidate from the same assembly constituency.

The protesters shouted slogans against their own leaders. Manish, a supporter of Purnea MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, was attacked by Congress workers, and a scuffle ensued.

All three leaders were seen fleeing the melee as tensions escalated. Mr. Khan was surrounded by the protesting crowd before he managed to escape in his car.

Some protesters alleged corruption, claiming that Congress leaders sold tickets for ₹5 crore.

The seat-sharing arrangements within the INDIA bloc have not been completed yet, and a final round of talks is underway. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has announced the names of 160 candidates, whereas the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) led INDIA bloc has not officially released a single name. However, several of its candidates have received the symbol.

According to sources, the RJD will contest 130 seats, and the Congress is likely to contest 60; the Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP), led by Mukesh Sahni, will get 18 seats. The three left parties are expected to contest the remaining 35 seats.