PatnaSeptember 15, 2025 07:50 AM IST
First published on: Sep 15, 2025 at 07:50 AM IST
A gulf that seemingly emerged between the two major Opposition parties in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, does not appear to be shrinking as both look to garner the best seat-sharing deal for themselves ahead of the Assembly elections in the next couple of months.
In the face of the Congress’s stiff stance on seat-sharing and reluctance to project anyone as the Mahagathbandhan’s (Grand Alliance) Chief Ministerial face, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, seen as the most likely CM probable from the Opposition’s ranks, has put the pressure back on his alliance partner by saying he will be the one contesting all 243 seats in the state.
At an event in Kanti in Muzaffarpur district, the state Leader of Opposition (LoP) said, “Aur iss baar Tejashwi 243 seats par chunav ladega, chahe Muzaffarpur ho, Kanti ho ya Bochahan ho (And this time, Tejashwi will contest all 243 seats, whether it is Muzaffarpur, Kanti, or Bochahan).”
This comes days after the Congress, on the back of the perceived success of LoP Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra, was learnt to be pressing for at least 70 constituencies, the number of seats it had contested last time. However, back then, it had cost the Opposition as the Congress’s poor strike rate — it won 19 — likely prevented it from forming the government even though the RJD emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats (out of 144 contested).
The AICC’s Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru’s remark last week that the “people of Bihar would decide the CM” has also not gone unnoticed in the state’s political circles. The sense of unease about the Congress refusing to project a CM face has only grown since Rahul Gandhi, during the Bihar yatra, ducked a question on Tejashwi’s claim to the top post if the Opposition manages to come to power.
The RJD leader’s latest comment is being seen as his way of flexing his political muscles before the Mahagathbandhan parties meet, either in Delhi or virtually, to discuss a seat-sharing arrangement. Apart from the Congress’s demands, the assertions of the Mukesh Sahani-led Vikassheel Insaan Party, the requirements of the Left that outperformed last time around, and the need to accommodate the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party of former Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) of Hemant Soren also have to be discussed at this meeting.
“Tejashwi Yadav is the most obvious CM face of the Mahagathbandhan,” RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari told The Indian Express. “What our leader meant by his statement was that he alone could be the face of our alliance …. In any case, we are sitting together to discuss seat-sharing first. We might well discuss leadership soon.”
Tiwari said the Congress must accept its limitations in Bihar and acknowledge the RJD’s position as the leading partner in the alliance. He pointed out that in 2020, the alliance under Tejashwi’s leadership had “almost got close to power by bagging 110 of the 243 seats”.
However, state Congress spokesperson Gyan Ranjan Gupta stuck to his party’s stand, saying the leadership question would be settled later.
“Tejashwi Prasad Yadav is the chairman of our alliance’s coordination committee. As for leadership, it will be taken up by the coordination committee at the right time. We will first discuss seat-sharing. Saying he was the face for all 243 seats was Tejashwi ji’s way of asserting his position. But we have no difference, unlike in the NDA. Just see how Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said he would contest on 100 seats if not given 20,” Gupta said.