Patna: The opposition Mahagathbandhan, or grand alliance, in Bihar appears to be on the verge of collapse ahead of the state polls, with signs of serious internal discord among its partners. At least ten constituencies are likely to witness “friendly contests” between alliance candidates unless last-minute compromises are struck, sources said. The Mahagathbandhan, which includes the RJD, Congress, CPI (ML), CPI, CPI (M) and VIP, has failed to reach consensus on several key seats, raising fears that vote splits could benefit the ruling NDA.
Insiders said that unless nominations are withdrawn before the October 20 deadline, the alliance could effectively be fighting itself in multiple constituencies.
Among the flashpoints is the Kutumba seat in Aurangabad district, reserved for Scheduled Castes, where both Congress and RJD have fielded candidates. Congress has nominated state president Rajesh Ram, while RJD has put up former minister Suresh Paswan. Both are set to file their nominations on October 20.
In Rajapakar, Congress candidate Pratima Das faces CPI (ML)’s Mohit Paswan, while in Lalganj, RJD’s Shivani Shukla is pitted against Aditya Kumar Raja of Congress. Similar clashes have emerged in Biharsharif (Congress’ Umer Khan vs CPI-ML’s Satish Yadav) and Kahalgaon (Congress’ Parveen Kumar Kushwaha vs RJD’s Rajnish Yadav). Friendly contests are also likely in Tarapur, Alamnagar, Rosera, Gaura Bauram, Bachhwara and Warisaliganj, further underlining the alliance’s disarray.
With the nomination deadline over and withdrawals due by October 20, the Mahagathbandhan faces an uphill task to prevent open infighting from fracturing its electoral prospects.
