Did Congress tell Tejashwi to rein in father Lalu Prasad Yadav? High drama in Patna amid seat-sharing

Without releasing an official announcement on the seat sharing in the Mahagathbandhan alliance, RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav began giving away the party tickets to candidates in Patna on Monday evening. However, a few hours after the party symbols were given way, they were snatched right back by his son, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

Lalu Yadav had distributed the symbols right after he landed in Patna from Delhi. Some of the leaders of the party had arrived at his wife’s residence on Monday evening. He chose to give them to some of the stronger candidates in the party, reportedly to put pressure on Congress so that they would make up their minds on seat sharing within the Mahagathbandhan alliance as soon as possible.

Some of the leaders who received their party tickets were Bhai Virendra, the party's current MLA from Maner assembly seat, Rekha Paswan, candidate from Masaurhi, Bogo Singh, candidate from Matihani seat of Begusarai, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, MLA from Parbatta, Rajesh Kumar, candidate from Hathua, and Deepu Singh, candidate from Sandesh Assembly Constituency.

Soon afterward, his son arrived in Patna from Delhi late at night. Tejasjwi Yadav, who had just met with the Congress leaders, summoned the candidates right back to the residence, and the tickets were taken away around midnight. Images show a crowd hanging out at the residence late at night.

According to sources to spoke to local media, Congress leaders had expressed their displeasure at Lalu Yadav’s decision to take matters into his own hands, to his son.

The party is yet to announce its candidates or assign its own tickets to them.

The RJD leaders who got caught up in the middle of the father-son disagreement refrained from commenting on the matter.

Some even covered for the duo; Ashraf Fatmi said that the images online of them receiving the party symbol were AI generated.

As for Tejashwi, he had just returned from an inconclusive meeting with the Congress leaders. He had told the party that the alliance could not move ahead under the current circumstances and left the meeting saying, “I will see and respond.” According to sources, the RJD is willing to give the party their claim of 61 seats, but drew the line at them asking for specific seats like Kahalgaon, Narkatiaganj, Warisaliganj, Chainpur, and Bachhwara assembly seats. Congress had held the seat at Kahagaon, which has a large Muslim population, nine times until 2015.

The poll in Bihar will take place on November 6 and 11, and the results will be declared on November 14.

India