Congress Normal Secretary (Group) KC Venugopal on Tuesday held talks with RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav because the Congress rushes senior chief Ashok Gehlot and Bihar in-charge Krishna Araval to Patna because the Mahagathbandhan rushes to get the alliance again on observe.
The leaders expressed confidence that all the pieces will probably be resolved quickly and the Mahagathbandhan will maintain a joint press convention on Wednesday to emphasise unity.
Thursday is the final day for withdrawal of nominations, with alliance leaders hoping to power candidates to withdraw to keep away from “pleasant disputes”.
As of Tuesday, the Mahagathbandhan is eyeing a “pleasant match” with 12 seats. The deadline for withdrawal has already handed in three of those constituencies, Bakhlara, Rajapakkar and Bihar Sharif, the place voting will happen within the first part on November 6.
Sources stated that whereas the Congress has already withdrawn its candidate from the remaining Lalganj seat in Vaishali district, an settlement has been reached between the Congress and RJD for just one candidate from Pranpur (Katihar) to affix the competition and every to safe yet one more seat.
The RJD introduced an official listing of 143 candidates on Monday, whereas the Congress introduced 61 candidates. Bihar has a complete of 243 seats. Different allies of the Mahagathbandhan embody the Vikashir Insan Occasion, the Left Occasion and the Inclusion Occasion of India.
Barely a month in the past, as Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav collectively held a voters’ adhikar rally, the Mahagathbandhan gave the impression to be in sync and targeted on credible points within the controversial particular intensive revision of the Election Fee’s ballot rolls.
However officers say tensions have escalated since then.
* Tejashwi because the face of the CM
The RJD has made it clear that it expects to contest the elections alongside Tejashwi because the official chief ministerial face of Mahagathbandhan. Tejashwi was additionally clear about this on the constituency Adhikar rally. The truth that Gandhi didn’t precisely assist the identical was clearly a shock.
Senior Congress leaders in Bihar declare that the celebration didn’t wish to decide to this because it might result in consolidation of non-Yadav votes in Bihar. Nonetheless, some leaders argued that this place was illogical. “Who’s contesting the utmost seat (in Mahagathbandhan)? It’s the RJD. If we win, it will likely be the RJD MLAs who will determine who turns into the CM. So the place is the query?” stated a senior Congress chief from Bihar.
The lawmaker additionally stated there was little foundation for the declare that it was a “precept” with the Congress to not reveal the CM’s face earlier than elections. “Will the celebration do the identical in Uttar Pradesh? No, not as a result of Akhilesh Yadav would be the face of the CM,” the celebration chief stated, including that this was a supply of pressure with the RJD and will have been simply averted.
*Bihar state caste survey
Tejashwi has been often concerned within the caste ballot that started in Bihar in 2022, when the RJD was a part of the JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar-led authorities and he was the CM’s deputy. Bihar was one of many first states to conduct such a caste census amid rising calls from opposition events for a caste census.
Nonetheless, prime Congress leaders, together with Mr. Gandhi, weren’t eager on permitting an investigation. Gandhi made the caste census a cornerstone of his marketing campaign towards the Bharatiya Janata Occasion, and has typically stated that the Mahagathbandhan authorities would conduct such a census and that it will not be like “Bihar (caste census) to idiot folks”.
* Ego conflict
Leaders who have been taking part within the seat-splitting negotiations additionally criticized the egos of every celebration’s management. One chief cited Bakhlara seat as a major instance. In 2020, the Congress sought Bakhlala after Shiv Prakash Garib Das, son of Youth Congress state president and six-time MLA Ramdeo Rai, gained the election as an impartial with 39,878 votes.
Nonetheless, companion CPI claimed the seat of its candidate Awadesh Kumar Rai, who misplaced in 2020 by a margin of simply 484 votes. “The Congress determined the seats based mostly on their ego,” stated a frontrunner who was a part of the Congress scrutiny committee for the Bihar polls.
Bachhwara, which can vote within the first part, will due to this fact have candidates from each the CPI and the Congress, giving the NDA a bonus.
One other supply stated there have been additionally “minor incidents” brought on by ego. On one event, it was realized that Araval stored Tejashwi ready for greater than an hour. Tejashwi in flip made Araval await greater than two hours for the assembly. “It has turn into so boring,” stated a Bihar chief.
* Delhi Order
Moreover slamming the Bihar Congress management, accusing it of taking cash as ticket cash, one part stated Mr. Gandhi ought to cease parachuting into nationwide politics. “The place is the excessive command in all this? Why did they miss the state the place we had such a possibility until September when Gandhi was main a yatra within the state? The leaders held a press convention and the highest three leaders of Bihar If there’s such a storm within the Bihar Meeting that the allegations towards (Araval, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram and Congress Legislative Occasion chief Shakeel Ahmed) need to be pursued, the place is the excessive command? Have been the disgruntled folks asking for tickets not appeased?” one chief stated.
The selection of Mr. Araval, whose mom tongue is Telugu, to construct consensus in a state the place the celebration has to take care of the likes of Mr. Tejashwi and Mr. Lal has additionally been questioned. “There must be a frontrunner who can sit with Lal and negotiate a deal. It may very well be a former CM like Bhupesh Baghel,” a Congress chief stated.
Araval was appointed answerable for Bihar solely in February this 12 months, and sources stated he was imagined to be answerable for Punjab and Baghel in Bihar, however as Baghel rejected the Bihar put up, the excessive command had no choice however to accompany Araval.
The Bihar newcomer has been accused of working the state legislature “like an organization” and giving an excessive amount of energy to “advisors” he has appointed. One in all Araval’s subordinates runs the Congress operations room in Patna. “Why would an MLA discuss to somebody who isn’t a part of the Congress construction? Leaders don’t settle for directions from consultants. And the Bihar Meeting has been run by consultants for the previous few months,” stated an individual in search of a ticket in Bihar.
Leaders stated they didn’t contemplate Araval “essential sufficient” as Tejashwi himself had drawn the road towards Mr Gandhi. “The entire course of has turn into a win-win scenario, and the outcomes are there for everybody to see,” stated one chief.
