The Mukesh Sahani-led Vikassheel Insaan Party on Friday joined the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar ahead of the Lok Sabah elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav announced during a press conference.

The Opposition alliance in the state comprises mainly the Congress along with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and three Left parties – Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist).

On Friday, Yadav announced that the Vikassheel Insaan Party would contest the three Lok Sabha constituencies of Gopalganj, Jhanjharpur and Motihari in the upcoming elections.

The former Bihar deputy chief minister said the constituencies had been given to the party from the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s quota of 26 seats as per the alliance’s arrangement.

The Mahagathbandhan announced its seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar for the Lok Sabha elections on March 29, the last day of filing nomination papers for the first phase of polling in the state.

According to the arrangement, the Rashtriya Janata Dal had said it would contest 26 seats in the state and the Congress would fight from nine seats.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) would contest three seats, while the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) would field candidates from one seat each.

On March 18, the Bharatiya Janata Party announced that it would contest 17 seats and the Janata Dal (United), its biggest ally in the state, would fight from 16 seats.

Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats for which polling will take place in seven phases between April 19 and June 1.