RJD Chief Mangani Lal Mandal Says Congress Won Seats Only Due to RJD Support
RJD leader says Congress wins in Bihar only due to them.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Bihar president Mangani Lal Mandal ignited a fresh political storm on Saturday by asserting that every single seat won by the Congress in the recent assembly elections was solely because of RJD’s vote transfer and organisational support. The provocative statement, made hours before a crucial joint meeting of the Opposition INDIA bloc allies in Patna, has exposed deepening cracks within the Mahagathbandhan just weeks after its electoral setback.
Mandal pointedly reminded reporters that in 2020, when Congress contested 71 seats under the RJD-led alliance, it managed 19 victories only because of RJD’s backing. In the 2025 polls, the Congress tally plummeted to a mere six seats despite contesting 61 constituencies, while RJD itself secured 25 seats from 143. “If Congress wants to go its separate way, it is welcome. The ground reality of its strength will be clear the day it fights alone,” Mandal declared, underlining RJD’s dominance within the alliance.
Congress leaders reacted sharply, questioning why RJD repeatedly chose an allegedly “spent force” as an ally if the grand old party indeed lacked independent strength. Party spokespersons insisted that such grievances should be raised internally at the coordination committee headed by Tejashwi Prasad Yadav rather than through media statements. Senior Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh clarified that any decision on continuing the alliance would be taken by the party’s central leadership after a comprehensive review.
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The public spar has provided ammunition to the ruling NDA, with senior BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain mocking the Opposition’s disarray. Describing the RJD-Congress partnership as an “unholy alliance” stitched purely for electoral arithmetic rather than ideological convergence, Hussain claimed the post-poll blame game was inevitable and reflected the opportunistic nature of the Mahagathbandhan.
As Tejashwi Yadav returns from Delhi, all eyes are now on the crucial Mahagathbandhan meeting scheduled at his residence to finalise the Opposition strategy for the special legislative session beginning December 1. With alliance partners trading barbs openly, the gathering is expected to be tense, as leaders attempt to paper over differences that threaten to fracture the Opposition front ahead of future electoral battles in Bihar.
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