Bihar: Tejashwi Yadav holds strategy meeting ahead of RS polls

Patna, March 15 (IANS) Ahead of voting for five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav held a crucial meeting with legislators of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) and members of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Sunday at Hotel Panache.​

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) claims that 48 legislators are supporting its candidate in the election.​

However, according to the latest information, only two legislators from the Indian National Congress have reached the hotel so far.​

The two Congress MLAs present at the hotel are Kamrul Houda, MLA from Kishanganj, and Abhishek Ranjan, MLA from Chanpatia.​

Meanwhile, four other Congress MLAs, Manohar Singh (Manihari), Manoj Biswas (Forbesganj), Abdur Rahman (Araria Sadar), and Surendra Kushwaha (Valmikinagar), had not reached the venue at the time of reporting.​

Speaking to the media, Maner MLA Bhai Virendra reiterated that the Mahagathbandhan has the numbers to win the fifth seat.​

“We have 48 MLAs; saying 41 is an understatement. The BJP has nothing substantial. Our fifth candidate is ready to win,” he said, adding that more legislators were joining their camp, though he did not specify which parties they belonged to.​

The political developments intensified after an Iftar gathering hosted by Akhtarul Iman, the Bihar state president of AIMIM.​

The event was attended by Tejashwi Yadav and other opposition leaders.​

Following the meeting, Akhtarul Iman confirmed that all five AIMIM MLAs would vote for the RJD candidate, A.D. Singh.​

Tejashwi Yadav said, “We received an invitation to the Iftar party from AIMIM and attended it. We have sought their support for the Rajya Sabha elections. I am confident that all secular parties will unite and defeat the BJP.”​

Meanwhile, leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) expressed confidence about winning the election.​

Jivesh Mishra, former Bihar minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, criticised Tejashwi Yadav, saying, “We are working to accelerate development in Bihar, while Tejashwi Yadav is busy attending Iftar parties.”​

Similarly, Madan Sahani said the victory of all NDA candidates was assured and added that MLAs had been instructed on the proper voting procedure to avoid wasting votes.​

Dilip Jaiswal also stated that the NDA had finalised the voting strategy and allocated which MLAs would vote for which candidates.​

Voting for the five Rajya Sabha seats will take place on March 16 at the Bihar Legislative Assembly from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and the results will be declared the same day after counting.​

With six candidates contesting for five seats, the contest for the fifth seat is expected to be highly competitive.

​--IANS

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