The party, which recently “allowed” Prasad to take part in seat distribution and candidate selection, enjoys a dominant presence in the “Mahagathbandhan”, the name by which the RJD, Congress and the Left were known in Bihar until a national alliance was formed with the catchy acronym.
When the father-son duo, accompanied by Prasad’s wife Rabri Devi, former chief minister, left their residence, cries of despair emanated from the aspirants who were hoping for an audience with their benefactors.
Security personnel found it difficult to chase them out of 10, Circular Road, the bungalow allotted to Rabri Devi, just opposite the chief minister’s residence.
At the airport, the elderly couple chose not to answer any questions from reporters, but Tejashwi Yadav, now eyeing his parents’ long-held seat of power, said “everything is fine.”
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Speculation was rife that the proverbial ‘first family’ of the RJD had rushed to the national capital to seek the intervention of Rahul Gandhi, the de facto leader of the Congress, who had reportedly irked the state’s biggest ally with his aggression.
Media reports suggest that the grand old party feels that after the success of the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, it has ceased to be a spent force in the state and wants to contest almost as many seats as it did five years ago, when it fielded 70 candidates of which only 19 could win.
A close aide of the RJD chief, who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, said that “Lalu ji and Tejashwi ji have left for Delhi as tomorrow is the date of the hearing in the country for job scam. Of course, while we are in the national capital, meetings with senior leaders cannot be ruled out.”
The scam relates to alleged irregularities that allegedly took place when Prasad was railway minister in the Congress-led UPA government.
The source also said: “Our decision is made. We will keep no less than half of the 243 seats for ourselves. Compared to 2020, when we ran for more than 140 seats, this still represents a bit of a sacrifice to welcome new allies.”
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“It is not just for the Congress, but for all smaller parties, to understand that there is a need to keep lofty ambitions in check. Only then can a credible challenge be mounted to the ruling NDA,” he added.
The submission of candidatures will end on October 17 for the first phase, during which 121 seats will be voted on November 6.
