In Bihar, the rift among the constituent parties of the Grand Alliance has widened ahead of the Assembly elections. The Congress has urged RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan Election Coordination Committee chairman Tejashwi Prasad Yadav to resolve the ongoing deadlock.
Reflecting the ongoing confusion and internal tussle, the Grand Alliance failed to announce its seat-sharing arrangement even as nominations closed on Friday for the first phase of the two-phase Assembly elections in the state. As a result, candidates from the Congress, RJD, and Left parties are contesting against each other in several constituencies going to polls in the first phase. Polling in this phase will be held on 121 seats across 18 districts on the 6th of November.
The RJD’s decision to nominate a candidate against Congress State President Rajesh Ram in the Kutumba Assembly constituency has further escalated tensions. Voting in Kutumba seat in Aurangabad district, will take place in the second phase on 11th of November.
Amid growing discord, the Congress released its second list of five candidates last night. With this, the party has announced the names of a total of 53 candidates so far. The RJD, meanwhile, has allotted its party symbol to candidates without officially announcing their names. The Communist Party of India (CPI) has fielded candidates against Congress nominees in multiple constituencies, including Rosera, Rajapakar, and Bihar Sharif.
In Rajgir assembly constituency, the CPI(ML) has given ticket to a candidate against the Congress nominee. Similarly, in the Bachhwara seat of Begusarai Congress has fielded a candidate against the CPI’s nominee. The RJD has also put its candidates against Congress in Vaishali and Lalganj constituencies.
Adding to the strain, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has declared it will contest against Grand Alliance candidates on six seats, while the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) has filed nominations from Saharsa and Jamalpur.
Internal dissent has also surfaced within the Congress, with leaders such as former MLA Gajanand Shahi and MLA Chatrapati Yadav accusing the leadership of irregularities in ticket distribution.
Meanwhile, the filing of nominations for the second phase of elections is underway, with tomorrow being the last date for submissions. 122 assembly constituencies across 20 districts will go to polls in this phase on 11th of November.