Bihar Rajya Sabha elections: RJD workers blame Congress for defeat
What's the story
Workers of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have blamed the Congress for the party's defeat in the Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar, according to a report by NDTV. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a victory for a seat after three Congress MLAs and one RJD MLA skipped voting. The NDA had already secured enough votes with JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar, Ramnath Thakur, Nitin Nabin, and BJP's Shivam Kumar winning their seats.
Alliance breakdown
3 Congress MLAs, 1 RJD MLA skip voting
The Mahagathbandhan, which includes 35 MLAs, had hoped to win with support from five AIMIM MLAs and one BSP MLA. The AIMIM and BSP backed the RJD after initial reluctance. However, three Congress MLAs, namely, Manoj Biswas, Manohar Prasad Singh, and Surendra Kushwaha, skipped voting along with RJD's Faisal Rahman. This reportedly led to speculation that Tejashwi Yadav's party lost again due to Congress's failure to keep its MLAs in line.
Accusations made
Tejashwi Yadav accuses BJP of horse-trading
Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) indulged in horse-trading during the Rajya Sabha elections. He said, "We are people who stand ready to fight against them. Our battle against them will continue." The Congress and RJD have had a history of discord during elections, including seat-sharing disputes in previous Bihar Assembly polls, which resulted in candidates from both parties contesting against each other.
Internal issues
Congress's internal discord affects Rajya Sabha elections
The Congress's internal discord also affected the Rajya Sabha elections. Protests and clashes broke out at the party headquarters when tickets were distributed in Bihar, leading to allegations of "sleeper cells" of the BJP operating within the party. Despite his efforts, Tejashwi Yadav was barely able to secure enough seats to become Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly. There is little chance of action against MLAs who skipped voting since expulsion wouldn't affect their assembly membership.