Cong-RJD engaged in fresh spat ahead of Bihar council polls

Lalu Prasad’s RJD and the Congress, old allies in Bihar who have not been very comfortable in each other's company, are engaged in a fresh spat over two dozen seats in the state legislative council for which elections are scheduled in a couple of months.

The two parties had fallen out with each other in October last year when the RJD unilaterally decided to contest by-elections for two assembly seats, evoking strong protest from the Congress which vowed to go it alone in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the assembly elections which will be held a year later.

After the by-polls were comfortably won by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), the Congress-RJD bickering subsided, triggering speculations that the two largest constituents of the Grand Alliance may have sorted out differences.

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However, recently Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the opposition who virtually calls the shots in the RJD, founded and headed by his father, gave ample hints of the contempt for the Congress which has repeatedly been called out for its poor strike rate in the assembly polls.

The five-party Grand Alliance had won 110 seats, falling short of the magic mark by 12. This was largely blamed on the Congress which had contested 70 but could win only 19.

When Tejashwi Yadav was asked about the legislative council polls, he said the RJD would contest these apne dam par (on its own strength).

He also said the Left has been taken on board and, when asked about Congress, remarked dismissively, "we have made it clear that we support them on the national level. What more can be asked for".

This evoked predictable outrage from the Congress which has been feeling that personal equations between Sonia Gandhi and Lalu Prasad notwithstanding, things are not the same with the next generation.

"Tejashwi Yadav is a big leader (bade neta). He should tell us who he is trying to help in Bihar," said MLC and AICC media panelist Prem Chandra Mishra in remarks dripping with sarcasm.

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He said "the Congress has suffered the most because of the alliance with RJD. But it has valued the ideological opposition to BJP-led NDA more than its own electoral prospects. Tejashwi Yadav may announce that he seeks to contest 2024 Lok Sabha polls, on his own, if he is so convinced of his own prospects".

Notably, in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the NDA had swept Bihar and the RJD had drawn a blank. The Congress, for long considered a spent force in the state, had managed to grab one seat.

Amid turmoil in the Grand Alliance, the NDA has finalised its own seat-sharing formula though it has not prevented chinks in the ruling coalition's armour from coming to the fore.

State minister Mukesh Sahni, who heads the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), has cried foul over the "disrespect" shown to him.

He said the NDA’s formula of BJP contesting 12 seats and JD(U) settling for 11, leaving one for LJP faction of Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras "shows they do not think much of me".

"But I will demonstrate what the Nishad community is capable of. The VIP will contest all 24 seats," said Sahni, indicating a bumpy ride ahead for the NDA.

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