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New Delhi: Smarting from the drubbing in the Bihar Assembly polls, the opposition Mahagathbandhan (MGB) is planning to challenge the results of the recently concluded elections. The alliance partners could seek key poll records from the Election Commission before taking a call on moving the courts, as per sources.
Amid this, there's also a buzz that MGB is struggling to keep its flock together, as some of the regional partners have raised questions about the strategy, leadership and credibility of the coalition led by Congress. It all began with murmurs, but now has become emerging noises that can't be ignored. Public discussions and internal debates have intensified, with several parties now mulling to realign or withdrawing from the group.
Ahead of the elections, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha had broken away from the bloc after discord over the alliance's Bihar seat-sharing formula. This was the first sign of rift. JMM leaders claimed that they were not given their due place in the group, which made them quit the alliance. As per an NDTV report, the JMM leaders have pointed out that the Bihar debacle reflects a larger problem that regional allies are being treated as "junior partners" and not as equal stakeholders.
The Bihar poll verdict has also drawn sharp reaction from the Shiv Sena (UBT). It has dubbed it as a wake-up call for the opposition. INDIA bloc’s internal coordination has also under scanner. The UBT leader contend that the INDIA bloc cannot operate in an effective manner if major parties fail to consult their allies on vital decisions in high-stakes states, the report said.
The Samajwadi Party has also called for a more decentralised leadership model, where regional parties — which have strong state bases — have a bigger role in shaping national strategy. AAP leaders have also underlined that their state-level growth cannot be compromised for the sake of a loosely coordinated national platform.
The discontent is coming out in the open, and demands for change are growing shriller.
Congress general secretary Avinash Pande, also a party observer in Bihar, pointed out: “We are also going deep into the process. We are going to demand all records for Bihar, as we did in Maharashtra and Haryana.”
The RJD leaders are in consultation with top Supreme Court lawyers to seek the legal options to challenge the election process, a senior functionary revealed.
“A decision on moving court would be taken soon. Perhaps within one week," RJD spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan said.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, or CPI(ML), which is also MGB ally, said they will seek poll records from the Election Commission.
The MGB — comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, and smaller allies including the Left parties — were dealt a heavy blow in the Bihar elections, the results of which were declared on November 14. The MGB secured just 35 of the state’s 243 seats. The ruling NDA swept the two-phase polls held on November 6 and 11, winning 202 seats.
