‘Samman Chori’ or ‘Maha Jhagda Bandhan’? BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla Mocks RJD-Congress Rift as Rahul Gandhi’s Photo Missing On Posters Ahead of Joint Presser

New Delhi: BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Thursday took a dig at the Opposition’s Mahagathbandhan after posters for the alliance’s first joint press conference in Patna featured only RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi missing from the visuals.

Taking to X, Poonawalla mocked the optics of the Opposition bloc’s internal dynamics, posting, “Joint PC? But only one picture. Rahul Gandhi & Congress ka ‘samman chori’. Showed Congress & Rahul his place?”

The BJP leader claimed that his earlier warnings about tensions within the RJD-Congress partnership had proved true. Quoting an old post from October 21, he wrote

“My source in Congress told me that RJD has virtually bullied & threatened Congress to accept Tejaswi as the face... might be announced soon. ‘Agar nahi manegi to Congress ko zero kar denge’ was the chilling threat! So much for Rahul’s macho man bravado giri. If alliance partners are threatened, imagine Janta ke saath kya hoga.”

Resharing it ahead of the press conference, Poonawalla added, “Predicted this on 21st & 22nd October — how RJD threatened Congress to declare Tejaswi as the face after initial denials.”

Continuing his attack, he accused the alliance of descending into chaos.

“So it’s not just ‘samman chori’ (respect theft) that Congress is grappling with — now ticket chori allegations hit Congress, especially key team of Rahul Gandhi. Earlier, Congress MLA Afaq Alam said how tickets were sold for cash. In RJD too, a sitting MLA made the same charge,” Poonawalla posted.

In another jibe, he quipped, “Pappu vs Tejaswi now. After RJD deletes Rahul Gandhi, puts only Tejaswi picture in joint PC venue, Pappu Yadav hits back — says only Rahul Gandhi’s photo will get votes. Yeh hai MAHA JHAGDA BANDHAN.”

The sharp remarks come amid visible unease within the Mahagathbandhan over seat-sharing for the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. Both RJD and Congress have fielded candidates in several overlapping constituencies despite prolonged negotiations.

The Congress has been pushing for a larger share of seats — a demand resisted by the RJD. Congress leader Ashok Gehlot was rushed to Patna earlier this week to iron out differences, and alliance leaders have since maintained that all is well.

In the 2020 Assembly polls, RJD contested 144 seats and won 75, while Congress fought 70 and managed 19. This time, RJD has announced candidates for 143 seats and Congress for 59. Mukesh Sahani’s VIP may contest 15, while around 30 seats are expected to go to the Left parties.

However, with Rahul Gandhi missing from alliance posters and murmurs of dissatisfaction within the Congress camp, the Opposition bloc’s show of unity ahead of the polls seems anything but seamless.

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