Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram on Thursday said that “all is well” in the opposition Mahagathbandhan.
“All is well in the Mahagathbandhan. There are always grievances among the party workers. They have expectations, and they should be given a chance,” Ram told reporters.
As the Mahagathbandhan attempts to resolve the issue of a “friendly fight” on a few assembly seats, Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday asserted that decisions required to secure victory in the upcoming assembly elections have already been taken.
“Whatever decision needed to be taken to secure victory has been taken,” Khera said.
The Congress leader also took a jibe at Prashant Kishor over his claim that the “contest is between NDA and Jan Suraaj”, adding, “Everyone has the right to speak and dream. We are very confident. We are getting the blessings of Bihar.”
Later, Khera refuted claims of clashes within the Mahagathbandhan. “Let the opposition say whatever they want to say, but there was never a clash between us. Is this (Tejashwi Yadav’s photo in the poster) a relevant issue? Does this issue make any sense to the youth of Bihar?” he asked.
“Can you see anyone upset? Everyone is smiling. When was it ever bad?” he added.
CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya was asked about Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav being the Mahagathbandhan’s Chief Ministerial face for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. He said that if a “face” is visible, there is no need to speculate on other possible faces.
“You are asking who our CM face is? You can see one face there. Why do you want to see five faces on it?” Bhattacharya told the media.
Tejashwi Yadav is likely to be announced as the Chief Ministerial candidate by the Mahagathbandhan today. The declaration is expected during a joint press conference by alliance parties. Tejashwi, the Bihar Leader of Opposition (LoP), has previously served as Deputy Chief Minister.
This comes a day after the Congress high command sent senior party leader Ashok Gehlot to Patna to defuse tensions within the grand alliance.
Gehlot met RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav at their residence amid reports of a widening rift among alliance partners over a “friendly fight” on some assembly seats.
Gehlot, named as Senior Election Observer by the AICC, assured that the INDIA bloc is “fully united” after he and Bihar Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru met with the RJD leadership.
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The Mahagathbandhan has about 12 seats where at least two allies have filed nominations. However, this notion of a friendly fight has drawn criticism from the NDA, which has reported no disputes after finalising its seat-sharing arrangements.
The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections will see the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan.
The NDA comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
The Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal, includes the Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) led by Dipankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Additionally, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj has staked claims on all 243 seats in the state.
The elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results declared on November 14.
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