Patna: The Mahagatbandhan in Bihar seems to be trying itself up in all sorts of knots with INDI Alliance members fielding candidates against each other for the upcoming elections in the state.
In a latest, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has announced that it will field a candidate against state Congress chief and sitting MLA Rajesh Ram in the Kutumba constituency of Aurangabad.
“I am going to contest from Kutumba and will file my nomination papers on October 20. There are many seats where the allies of Mahagatbandhan are facing each other. Kutumba too is one such seat,” RJD leader and former minister Suresh Paswan said.
The Congress, RJD and CPI have fielded candidates against each other in at least 15 constituencies till now. This will lead to a split in votes, making it easier for the NDA.
Kutumba goes to the polls in the second phase on November 11 along with 121 other seats. The last day to file nomination papers is October 20. Ram, who has already been allotted the party symbol by the Congress will also file his nomination on October 20.
Known to be a protege of Rahul Gandhi, Ram took to X to express his annoyance. “Dalit has neither bent. Nor will ever bend. Time for Inquillab. Jai Congress,” he wrote in Hindi.
RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav is apparently unhappy with Rahul and the Congress for not declaring him the chief minister face of the Mahagatbandhan. He has held Ram responsible for this and taken him to task.
There are rumblings within the Congress regarding the selection of candidates. Former Union minister and senior Congress MP Tariq Anwar expressed his dismay over the manner in which tickets were allotted to the Congress candidates.
“Candidates like Gajanand Sahi, who lost to JD (U) Sudarshan Kumar by 113 votes during the 2020 Assembly election, were denied party tickets while those who lost badly have been retained,” he said.
Party spokesperson Anand Madhav, who also heads the party’s research wing, has put in his papers after being denied a ticket.
“The Congress will struggle to win even 10 seats the way tickets have been distributed this time,” Madhav wrote to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, adding that “everyone in Bihar knows that Congress tickets are up for sale”.
