Speculation is rife that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav is the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, with CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya asserting that “ample hints” have been dropped to support this claim. Speaking at a press conference in Patna on Monday, Bhattacharya responded to queries about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s apparent hesitance to formally endorse Yadav, despite the RJD leader’s vocal support for Gandhi as the next prime minister.
“The wise can heed the hints,” Bhattacharya remarked, pointing to the public camaraderie between Gandhi and Yadav during the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Araria district on Sunday, where the two were seen riding motorcycles side by side. “Ample hints have been given, even though no formal announcement has been made by the INDIA bloc,” he added, suggesting a tacit understanding within the coalition about Yadav’s candidacy.
The remarks come amid claims from senior National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders, including BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad, who allege a trust deficit between the RJD and Congress that could undermine the INDIA bloc’s prospects in the polls. Bhattacharya countered these claims, asserting, “There is full clarity in the INDIA bloc about who would be the CM if the coalition wins power.” He contrasted this with the NDA, accusing it of presenting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as its face while playing a “game behind the scenes.” Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) holds fewer than 50 seats in the 243-member Bihar assembly, while the numerically stronger BJP has yet to secure the chief ministerial post in the state.
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Beyond the political jostling, Bhattacharya, a petitioner challenging the special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls, raised concerns about the Election Commission’s handling of voter lists. He demanded an extension of the August 31 deadline for filing claims and objections, citing wrongful deletions, particularly of migrant workers’ names. “The EC has been dragging its feet on approving over 1,000 booth-level agents nominated by us. It must act quickly,” he urged, noting that the commission recently acknowledged receiving 10 objections, all from CPI (ML) Liberation. Bhattacharya also questioned the BJP’s inaction, asking, “Does the party have no sympathy for those whose names have been dropped?”
In a related development, Tejashwi Yadav released a video urging RJD workers to assist people whose names may have been removed from voter lists due to “EC’s dishonesty” or those seeking to register as first-time voters. “Our workers should devote themselves completely to this task,” Yadav said, emphasizing the urgency as the Voter Adhikar Yatra nears its conclusion.
As Bihar gears up for the assembly polls, the INDIA bloc’s apparent backing of Yadav signals a unified challenge to the NDA’s dominance, with voter inclusion and coalition dynamics taking center stage in the state’s political discourse.
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