All does not appear to be well in Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) as fresh tensions between allies delayed the formal induction of film star-turned-neta Shatrughan Sinha’s entry into the Congress.
Mr. Sinha met Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday but he is expected to formally join on April 6, once seat sharing talks are completely resolved.
The stand-off between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress over some seats led to a series of meetings in Patna and Delhi.
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RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had to cancel his poll campaign trip to Katihar, Banka and Jamui. Amidst speculation of a break-up through the day, a joint press meeting of the allies in Patna was postponed to Friday.
Congress leaders, including party in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil, were locked in meetings with Mr. Gandhi. A section of the Congress wants the party to assert itself against the RJD that first reduced its [the Congress’] seat share from 11 to nine to accommodate more allies.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirti Azad is keen to contest his Darbhanga seat but the RJD wants it. Similarly, the RJD does not want the Congress to back Pappu Yadav from Madhepura as it is keen to field former Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav from there.
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A local RJD leader threatened to field a candidate against Pappu Yadav’s wife Ranjeet Ranjan, who is currently the sitting Congress MP from the Supaul Lok Sabha constituency.
There is also resentment among Congress old-timers that tickets are being given away to other party leaders, including Mr. Azad, Mr. Sinha and former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Tariq Anwar.
Earlier in the day, when the RJD gave the party symbol to its senior leader and former minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui from Darbhanga seat, State Congress leaders rushed to meet party president Rahul Gandhi to express their annoyance. A three-time MP from Darbhanga, Mr. Azad was, earlier, suspended from the BJP for “anti-party activities” and had recently joined the Congress.
Rapid developments
Amid the fast changing developments, RJD MLA and elder son of Lalu Prasad, Tej Pratap Yadav resigned as the mentor of party’s student’s wing, causing embarrassment to the party and his family.
Mr. Tej Pratap said he was hurt over tickets being denied to two of his supporters from Sheohar and Jehanabad seats. He also tweeted to say that those who think him as “ignorant are themselves ignorant.”