With growing tension in the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) on the issue of CM face, all constituents of the opposition alliance in Bihar will meet in Patna on 17 April.
The alliance partners will discuss election strategy, seat sharing and formation of a coordination committee in the first meeting before the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar.
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While the ruling NDA is far ahead in election preparations, the Grand Alliance is still planning to hold its first meeting due to the Congress Party’s stand on the CM face of the alliance.
The Congress leadership has been trying to revive the party in the state. The party appointed a new incharge of Bihar Congress and a new state president which was followed by appointment of 40 district heads.
Differences between the two major partners, the RJD and Congress, came to the fore soon after the appointment of Krishna Allavaru as the new incharge of Bihar Congress. He has refused to accept RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face of the Grand Alliance. He always maintained that the CM will be elected after the elections.
The Congress General Secretary Sachin Pilot sparked new controversy during his Bihar visit on Friday by supporting Allavaru over CM face for Bihar election. Giving jitters to the RJD leaders, he said that the decision on the CM face will be made after the elections.
In an interesting turn of events, former president of Bihar Congress Akhilesh Singh said today that Tejashwi Yadav is the chief ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan. No one should be confused about this. Congress has to contest the elections in alliance.
He said that Tejashwi was the chief ministerial face of the grand alliance even in the 2020 assembly elections. There is no confusion about it. He also said that if the Congress decides to fight alone, it will be suicidal.
Akhilesh Singh’s firm stand reflects that the Congress party in Bihar is not united on the issue of accepting Tejashwi’s leadership.
It would be interesting to see how the Grand Alliance’s poll strategy takes shape when the alliance partners meet for the first time on 17 April.
