No end to Mahabharat in Mahagatbandhan

Nearly three months after they announced to contest Lok Sabha elections unitedly under the banner of Mahagatbandhan in Bihar, several of its constituents are still busy fighting amongst each other.

The Mahabharat, which started last month over the number of seats each party within the Mahagatbandhan should contest, is heading for an ugly war with one or two constituents gearing up to desert the Grand Alliance.

The most vociferous of all is former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, president of Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM). Despite limited hold in Central Bihar, particularly Gaya and adjoining areas, the Mahadalit leader Manjhi wants no less than 20 seats out of 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar to contest.

His unreasonable demand has puzzled the RJD as well as the Congress because it has come at a time when HAM’s Bihar unit president Brishen Patel and spokesperson Danish quit the party blaming Manjhi for planning to re-join NDA.

Equally pathetic is the state of Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), headed by former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha. After a vertical split in his pocket organisation early this month (when working president of RLSP Nagmani quit the party accusing Kushwaha of selling Lok Sabha tickets for crores), the credibility of the regional chieftain has eroded fast.

The Mahagatbandhan, which had around a dozen political parties as allies, including the Left, has, therefore, not been able to resolve its seat-sharing formula even though barely a fortnight is left before the Election Commission will announce poll dates in the first week of March.

LEFT ALONE

The RJD is not keen that the CPI fields its star campaigner and former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar from Begusarai. “The RJD lost marginally to BJP in Begusarai during 2014 Lok Sabha polls when its nominee Tanveer Akhtar stood runners-up. Secondly, even if we leave the seat for the CPI, chances are BJP may rake up the police case (related to sedition charges) against Kanhaiya and turn the tide in its favour,” explained a Mahagatbandhan leader to Deccan Herald.

The RJD’s relationship with Congress is also heading to nowhere despite Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi holding a one-to-one meeting. The Congress wants that the RJD and the grand old party should contest 15 seats each and leave the remaining ten seats for its allies. Last heard, the RJD has shot down the proposal saying it had the largest mass base in Bihar and should be allowed to contest more than 20 seats.

In this game of one-upmanship, the Mahabharat in Mahagatbandhan is heading for fierce infighting than fighting the NDA.