NEW DELHI: Congress’s top leader, Rahul Gandhi, is insisting on adopting the Maharashtra formula in Bihar. This has caused unease and concern within the RJD.
In Maharashtra, Congress completely ignored pressure from allies and contested the elections without a face, causing significant losses to the alliance. UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray wanted to be named the face of the election, but Congress was unwilling. This led to intense infighting within the constituent parties during the elections. The Congress-led Mahagathbandhan alliance ultimately lost.
Similar situations are now developing in Bihar. The RJD wants its leader, Tejashwi Yadav, to be declared the CM face, but Congress is unprepared. The RJD is worried that Congress is playing a big game this time. The party has started demanding more than 60 seats, with talks now underway for 70-75. In addition, Congress is trying to woo smaller parties and is preparing to field Pappu Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar—both opposed by the RJD.
RJD chief Lalu Yadav had previously opposed fielding Kanhaiya Kumar and Pappu Yadav in the general elections, which forced Kanhaiya to contest from Delhi against his wishes, while Pappu contested as an independent from Purnia. Lalu had hoped Congress would not promote either leader, but it did.
Kanhaiya took up the Congress flag and began a separate political campaign, demonstrating his strength through a yatra led by new in-charge Krishna Alavaru. Alavaru’s statements further increased tension between Congress and RJD. While all Grand Alliance parties considered Tejashwi the CM face, Alavaru clarified that there would be no CM face. Reports of tension also surfaced during the joint Voter Rights Yatra, where Tejashwi declared Rahul Gandhi as the PM face, while Rahul remained silent. Though the yatra did not significantly benefit the RJD, it recharged Congress workers.
Congress has started pressure politics, demonstrating strength by fielding Priyanka Gandhi alongside Rahul Gandhi. The party insists that all decisions will be made after the elections. Meanwhile, RJD and Tejashwi have already declared themselves CM candidates and are in the electoral fray.
Like last time, Congress is pressing for more seats, with negotiations ongoing over potential wins. Although Congress historically suffers losses by not declaring a candidate before elections, Rahul Gandhi is firm on this approach. Congress has never compromised on leadership in past alliances, whether in the UPA or the All India Alliance.
The Maharashtra elections illustrate the consequences: Congress suffered its biggest loss there by not declaring a CM candidate. Despite gaining strength in the 2024 general elections, Congress is now weakened. While it alleges BJP manipulation and vote theft, its allies are not fully aligned with these claims.
The conflict in Maharashtra revolved around power. Uddhav Thackeray broke the alliance with BJP in 2019 over the CM post and became Chief Minister with Congress and NCP support, despite ideological differences. Yet he was unable to save Shiv Sena. When the party split, the government collapsed, but Thackeray remained loyal to Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP. In the 2024 assembly elections, Thackeray sought an early CM-face announcement, even threatening to break the alliance, but Congress did not comply. Both Congress and Shiv Sena competed fiercely for maximum seats and CM leverage, inadvertently benefiting BJP. Experts suggest that declaring Thackeray as CM could have altered Maharashtra’s political trajectory and influenced central politics.
Bihar now faces a similar scenario. Whatever votes the Grand Alliance secures will be largely due to Tejashwi’s popularity. Congress has yet to establish strong public support but is projecting pressure politics as if it has a substantial vote bank.
Congress has even pushed for the Deputy CM post. The RJD fears that if Congress wins a decent number of seats, Kanhaiya Kumar could be elevated to equal status with Tejashwi, and Pappu Yadav could be made a minister. Such internal pressure could replicate Maharashtra’s situation, where constituent parties weakened each other. The BJP is reportedly observing, waiting to identify the weak links in the alliance.
