Seat-sharing dilemma to make Tejashwi campaign against his party candidate
What's the story
In a bizarre turn of events, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav will campaign against his own party's candidate in the upcoming Bihar elections. This is one of the many cases where the Mahagathbandhan alliance partners, even within the RJD party, are unable to reach a consensus on seat-sharing, which will result in several "friendly fights." The seat in question is Darbhanga's Gaura Bauram constituency, where the RJD had initially fielded Afzal Ali Khan as its candidate.
Seat dispute
Confusion over seat allocation
Before the seat-sharing deal was finalized, the RJD fielded Khan from Gaura Bauram, even giving him its symbol and documentation that proclaim him as the RJD candidate. However, the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), led by Mukesh Sahni, later claimed the Gaura Bauram seat under a seat-sharing agreement with the RJD. The VIP's Santosh Sahni was announced as their candidate, and all Mahagathbandhan partners were asked to support him. Eventually, Khan was asked to withdraw from contesting, but he refused.
Election implications
RJD's stance on Khan's candidacy
The RJD has now informed the election authorities that Khan is not their candidate, but they cannot remove him from the race due to his valid nomination. This means that the junior Yadav will be campaigning for Sahni, while Khan's name will still be on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) with an RJD symbol. Such confusions have previously impacted election outcomes, as seen in Rajasthan's Banswara during a Lok Sabha election.
Historical precedent
JMM withdraws from Bihar polls
This development marks another disagreement with the Grand Alliance over seat sharing. Earlier, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally withdrew from the elections at the last minute, days after the Hemant Soren-led party announced six candidates for the Bihar polls. According to JMM leaders, the party felt betrayed because it had given the RJD seats in Jharkhand (seven in 2019, six in 2024), but this was not reciprocated. It also said it would re-evaluate the alliance with them in Jharkhand.