Will contest all 243 seats: Tejashwi urges Bihar people to vote for him in every constituency amid disputes on seat-sharing
The former Deputy Chief Minister further added that the BJP was trying to snatch away the fundamental right of people's right to vote.
New Delhi: Addressing a rally in Bihar's Muzaffarpur on Saturday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav urged the people of Bihar to vote for him in every constituency in the upcoming Assembly elections. He said, "This time, Tejashwi will be contesting all 243 seats. Whether it's Bochahan or Muzaffarpur, I will be fighting. I ask all of you to vote in my name. I will work to move Bihar forward... Let’s all come together to remove the current government."
The former Deputy Chief Minister further added that the BJP was trying to snatch away the fundamental right of people's right to vote.
How tricky is seat-sharing?
The RJD leader's appeal comes at a time when the already controversial seat-sharing discussions within the Mahagathbandhan have been made even trickier by the inclusion of the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Pashupati Paras-led Lok Janshakti Party.
During the 2020 Bihar elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal had contested 144 constituencies and nabbed 75 seats, making it the biggest party in the state.The Congress party was allotted 70 seats, of which it won only 19 seats. But the party views itself in a better position this time as it believes that the Voter Adhikar Yatra and its vote 'chori' (theft) message had connected them to the people of Bihar. The yatra also increased both Rahul Gandhi and the party's popularity to a great extent.
Krishna Allavaru, the Congress' state in-charge, directed earlier this week that the RJD should be more flexible in seat-sharing arrangements. Speaking about the evolving alliance dynamics, he said, "We have always believed that when new parties join the alliance, every party must contribute from its own share.”
Highlighting the importance of fairness in seat allocation, he added, "Every state has both winnable and difficult seats. We believe no single party should walk away with all the favorable seats while others are left with the tough ones. There needs to be a balanced distribution of good and bad seats.”
'Bihar has no faith in you'
According to sources, the Congress is pushing to contest at least 70 seats—the same number it contested in the previous election. However, the RJD is advocating for a lower number to make room for other alliance partners. The BJP interpreted Yadav's latest remarks made after he had previously projected himself as the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate alongside Gandhi, as an attempt to pressure the RJD’s allies. The party asserted that voters would cast their ballots only in the name of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Stop dreaming, Mr Tejashwi Yadav. You don't have the strength to contest all 243 seats alone. You can keep trying to pile on the pressure on the Congress and your allies with such statements, but the people of Bihar have no faith in you. You remind them of the fodder scam and the land-for-jobs scam. The people will vote for the NDA and in the name of Nitish Kumar and PM Modi," BJP spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said.