RJD's Tejashwi Yadav meets Kharge in Patna to prepare joint strategy for Bihar Assembly elections

New Delhi: Amid discordant notes about the Opposition alliance's face in Bihar, Congress and RJD top leadership on Tuesday met to discuss ways to “strengthen” the grand alliance in the poll-bound state where they believe “change is certain”.

RJD top leader Tejashwi Yadav met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi ahead of a meeting of all alliance partners, including CPI(ML)L, in Patna on Thursday to prepare a joint strategy for the assembly elections later this year.

The meeting was also attended by Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, state unit president Rajesh Kumar and senior leader Gurdeep Sappal as well as RJD's Manoj K Jha and Sanjay Jha.

Sources said that the leaders want all parties to fight the elections with a "combined strategy and narrative" and its proper implementation.

The leaders were also of the view that there should not be war of words between constituents, amid Congress leaders, including Sachin Pilot, saying in public that the alliance's face would be decided after the elections. Tejashwi downplayed the issue of alliance face, saying it will be discussed and unanimously decided and one should not be worried about it.

Sources said the parties are likely to discuss formation of a co-ordination committee to oversee the alliance’s campaign and other strategy in its April 17 meeting. With at least two parties joining the alliance, the parties may have to concede some seats that it contested in 2020 Assembly elections.

Kharge posted on 'X', "This time, change is certain in Bihar. Today we met...Tejashwi Yadav and discussed the strengthening of the Grand Alliance. In the coming elections, we will give the people of Bihar a strong, positive, just and welfare-oriented option. Bihar will be freed from BJP and its opportunistic alliance."

He said that youth, farmers-labourers, women, backward, extremely backward and people of all other sections of the society want the Grand Alliance government.

After the meeting, Tejashwi told reporters that they had "positive discussions" and are "fully prepared" for the elections, as they want to take Bihar forward.

"Even after 20 years of the NDA government in the state and Narendra Modi in power at the centre for 11 years, Bihar remains the poorest state. The per capita income is low, the farmers' income is low while migration is on a high. We will be fighting on issues...NDA is not forming the government in Bihar this time," he said.

On the Bihar Chief Minister, he alleged Nitish Kumar has been "hijacked" and claimed that Home Minister Amit Shah has only said that he would lead the elections and not that he would be Chief Minister after that.

Bihar Congress chief Kumar said they would fight the NDA unitedly. "Several issues were discussed today and we will move forward point by point," he added.