PATNA: Chasm surfaced in the Opposition’s Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) on Sunday after the biggest partner RJD refused to forsake Kusheshwar Asthan assembly seat for ally Congress and announced its candidates for both assembly seats—Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur - going to by-polls on October 30.
The Congress, which is the second largest ally in the state’s grand alliance, had earlier expressed its desire to contest from its traditional Kusheshwar Asthan seat and give up Tarapur for the RJD. The Congress recently sent a five-member team to Darbhanga district to gather peoples’ opinion before finalizing its candidate for Kusheshwar Asthan.
But the Congress’ plan received a major jolt on Sunday after the RJD state president Jagdanand Singh announced the names of party candidates for both the assembly seats.
"Arun Kumar Sah and Ganesh Bharti will be the RJD’s official candidates for Tarapur and Kusheshwar Asthan seats, respectively," Jagdanand said while releasing the list of his party candidates. Jagdanand also said that his party would contest both the seats.
Hours after Jagdanand’s announcement, the Congress decided to field its candidates from both the assembly seats in retaliation to the RJD’s move. "We have almost finalized our candidate for the Kusheshwar Asthan seat. We will hold a meeting tonight to finalize the name of the Congress candidate for Tarapur seat," Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president and former minister Madan Mohan Jha told TOI over phone on Sunday.
Asked whether Congress has a formidable candidate in Tarapur, Jha said several prospective candidates from Tarapur approached the Congress leaders on Sunday soon after the RJD announced candidates from both the seats, giving a clear indication about the cracks in the grand alliance. "However, the final decision regarding contesting the by-polls from both the seats will be taken by the party’s central leadership," the BPCC chief said.
To a question, Jha said, "In Congress, the names of candidates for any election is cleared by the party’s high command and for the state’s by-elections also, the names of candidates would be announced by the party’s central leadership."
Contrary to the Congress’s claim, RJD spokesman Mrityunjay Tiwari told TOI that his party’s national president Lalu Prasad finalized the names of candidates for both the constituencies only after holding deliberations with the top leaders of all allies including the Congress, CPI-ML, CPI and CPM.
Sources said, Lalu Prasad personally spoke to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC Incharge for Bihar Bhakta Charan Das before finalizing the names of RJD candidates for both the seats.
The RJD’s move, however, invited sharp reactions from the allies of Bihar’s ruling NDA. “Today, the RJD once again showed its status to the Congress. The Congress high command should immediately break up its tie with the RJD so that its shame could be saved up to some extent,” former Bihar CM and HAM-S president Jitan Ram Manjhi said.
"RJD is nervous with the way Congress is trying to come out of its shadow. Joining of former CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar is an attempt in the same direction. RJD is now over cautious as Kanhaiya has joined the Congress. It's not that RJD has ignored Congress but has ensured that Tejashwi doesn't share dais with Kanhaiya. The UPA alliance no longer exists in Bihar," BJP OBC Morcha national general secretary and Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand told TOI on Sunday.
By-polls to Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur seats were necessitated following the untimely death of its MLAs Shashi Bhushan Hajari and Mewalal Choudhary, respectively. As both the seats were held by the ruling JD(U) in the last 2020 polls, the NDA has asked CM Nitish Kumar’s party to contest from both the constituencies.
JD(U) has fielded Aman Bhudhan Hajari, son of Shashi Bhushan, in Kusheshwar Asthan while Rajiv Kumar Singh in Tarapur as its candidates for the bypolls.
