The Opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar is yet to get its seat sharing deal finalised and with weeks to go before the elections, the parties have started fielding candidates.
Given the situation, the stage is inevitably set for friendly fire in several constituencies. And while the Congress talks of a way to avoid it, the party has signalled its rancour by continuing to withhold assent to Tejashwi Yadav being the Opposition’s Chief Ministerial candidate.
Assuring that a Grand Alliance government will be formed in Bihar, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera made it clear that friendly fires could be the norm this time rather than an exception.
“In constituencies where more than one Grand Alliance candidate has filed nomination, one nomination will be withdrawn within one to two days,” Khera said.
“The Chief Ministerial face will be announced at an appropriate time,” he added.
His words follow a set-up for a possible friendly fire between the opposition allies at a constituency that is home to Congress State President Rajesh Ram.
Kutumba, a reserved constituency for Scheduled Castes in Aurangabad district, has been the bone of contention for the Congress and Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal.
While the Congress has given Rajesh Ram the party’s symbol, the RJD has also fielded its own candidate — Suresh Paswan, a former minister.
Paswan has announced that he would contest the election on RJD symbol and file his nomination on October 20. Rajesh Ram will also file his nomination on the same day.
The Congress had been demanding over 70 seats, a chunk of which, they said, should give them a sure shot at winning.
To ensure that the demand is met, the party has deliberately been withholding agreement to confirm Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial face of the alliance.
In fact, it had pointedly maintained silence despite Yadav Junior’s open statements on the matter.
But RJD, easily the big brother in the Bihar alliance, has not reacted.