Congress refuses to accept Tejashwi as Mahagathbandhan CM candidate for Bihar Polls

The RJD has already declared Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls. But it seems Tejashwi's candidature is not acceptable to the allies of the Mahagathbandhan. 

After former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, now Bihar Congress in-charge Shakti Singh Gohil has made it clear that Tejashwi Yadav has not yet been declared the CM candidate of the Mahagathbandhan. 

While speaking to the media, Gohil said, "Tejashwi Yadav has not been declared the CM candidate of Mahafathbandhan. First, the coordination committee of the alliance partners has to be formed, which will unanimously declare the name of the CM candidate. This has yet to happen."

Later, RJD MLA Rahul Tiwary rebuffed this and called Gohil an "outsider" in state politics and also said he "no idea of ground realities of Bihar". Tiwary maintained that Yadav is the CM candidate of the alliance.

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Manjhi's poll moves

Earlier, former Bihar CM and Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi had demanded the formation of a coordination committee of alliance partners like Congress, HAM, RLSP, VIP party, and Left parties. But the demand was turned down by the RJD, which is the principal opposition party in the Bihar Assembly to the Nitish Kumar government.

Jitan Ram Manjhi had given an ultimatum to the RJD till June 26 to form the coordination committee and stated that Tejashwi may be the CM candidate of RJD but he has not been declared the face of the Mahagathbandgan. Manjhi had convened a meeting of the office-bearers of his HAM party, and the party has authorized the former CM to take further decision. Manjhi had earlier said that politics is a game of possibilities. Sources say that he has already met Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and he may soon, take a decision to merge his party with the JDU.

Meanwhile, RJD president Lalu Yadav and his son Tejashwi are of the opinion that both Jitan Ram Manjhi and RLSP leader Upendra Kushwaha failed to transfer votes to the Mahagathbandhan during the 2019 Lok sabha elections and therefore alliance with both these parties may prove to be of no significance. 

On the other hand, with Shakti Singh Gohil not accepting Tejashwi as CM candidate, Congress party is mounting pressure on the RJD for a larger share in the seat-sharing bargain out of the 243 assembly constituency. Last time RJD and JDU had contested 101 seats each and the Congress – 41 seats. In 2020 Assembly polls, the Congress wants to contest more than 60 seats.

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