Lalu Yadav Shows A Trailer Of What Lies Ahead For Congress In Bihar

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has announced its candidate from Purnea constituency of Bihar.

Bima Bharti, who left Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) to join RJD, will contest on the RJD symbol from one of the key constituencies of Seemanchal.

The decision to field Bharti by RJD is widely considered unilateral by the key member of Indian National Developmental Inclusive (INDI) Alliance. The move has increased trouble for Congress, the second largest alliance member in Bihar.

Why It's Significant 

Apparently, Congress had manoeuvred quite a lot of its political muscle for the Purnea seat. Pappu Yadav, former RJD turncoat merged his Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) with the Congress. It was supposed to be a win-win situation for both due to Pappu Yadav’s familiarity with the constituency.

Congress wants to expand beyond Kishanganj in Seemanchal. For Pappu Yadav, Purnea holds the key to political career. He has been active in Purnea for the last few months. He even went on to state that he could leave his body, but not Purnea.

Bringing Pappu Yadav into the fold could possibly help the Congress consolidate the Muslim vote. In return, Pappu Yadav wants to contest from Purnea. But the RJD's latest move could spoil the equation for Pappu Yadav and Congress.

Responding to the development, Pappu Yadav said that he will request Lalu Yadav to let him fight. Pappu Yadav offered his commitment to Congress and Gandhi family.

On the question about Bima Bharti, Pappu Yadav said that she is like his daughter, but relations and ideologies are two separate domains.

What’s Going On Between RJD And Congress In Bihar

After JD(U) joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), leaving the alliance it had with the RJD, it created room for the Congress to demand a greater number of seats in the states within the alliance with Lalu Yadav. Congress demanded 12 seats for itself while RJD offered only six seats. After a tug of war, both parties are said to have agreed on Congress fighting from nine seats in the state. 

While the decision of seats was achieved, selection of seats is still a bone of contention. Apart from Purnea, RJD and Congress sparred over Aurangabad, Katihar, Siwan and Begusarai. For Begusarai, Communist Party of India (CPI) has already announced Awadhesh Rai as its candidate. Amidst the negotiations, RJD also unilaterally started distributing the tickets. 

India’s grand old party has not been able to do anything about these developments. Though, RJD is said to have offered Madhepura to Pappu Yadav, but Pappu Yadav knows that accepting this offer does not guarantee a victory,

Why RJD Is So Rigid

Nitish Kumar’s exit from RJD alliance was supposed to have opened the gates for Congress to gain traction. For RJD, it became an opportunity to solidify its position as the single-most challenger to NDA in state.

Killing Congress’s chance in Purnea (most important constituency of Seemanchal region) is a great opportunity for RJD to break the morale of Congress’s workers and halt the party's efforts to rebuild its base in Bihar. 

Another reason could be Lalu Yadav's attempt to hinder any fellow Yadav leader from establishing influence in the state. For Pappu Yadav, 2024 serves as a semi-final for the 2025 assembly election.

Winning in 2024 would likely elevate him as the prominent Yadav figure within the Congress. However, Lalu and his son Tejaswi Yadav, who would assume the chief minister's role if the RJD secures a majority in 2025, are opposed to this outcome.

The previous round of this battle had resulted the ouster of Pappu Yadav from RJD in 2015. 

Part Of The Pattern 

For Congress, it is yet another deja vu moment.

The party has "burnt its fingers" in the past dealings with the RJD, with a considerable portion of the blame for the dilapidated state of Congress in Bihar squarely placed on Lalu Yadav.

In the 1990s, as the RJD grappled with an existential crisis amid the negative reputation associated with Lalu raj, it aligned with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), under Congress leadership.

RJD got support from its own voter base as well as that of Congress. In subsequent elections, Congress’s vote as well as seat share started to go down. RJD had now made deep inroads into it.

Even after 26 years, India’s grand old party does not feel confident in getting out of the clutches of RJD. The party needs RJD, even when there is a sense of humiliation in the way tickets are being distributed.

One man who saw it coming is Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. According to Neeraj Kumar, chief spokesperson of JD(U), that is how RJD operates. That is why when JD(U) was part of INDI Alliance, Nitish Kumar was trying to finalise seat-sharing arrangements at the earliest.

Congress is in a deep turmoil. It has to keep RJD happy and simultaneously strive towards expansion, which is against RJD’s interest.