Kanhaiya Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav to share dais during Bihar poll campaign

In what could be a major boost for the Opposition-led Grand Alliance, former JNU students’ union president and CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar is likely to share dais with RJD chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav while campaigning for the Mahagatbandhan candidates in the ensuing Bihar Assembly polls.

At least two authoritative sources in the Grand Alliance confirmed it to Deccan Herald that “now that the Left will part of the Mahagatbandhan, chances are likely that Kanhaiya and Tejashwi will address public meetings together. It will be a treat to watch the two young leaders taking NDA head-on.”

The Left comprising the CPI, CPM and the CPI-ML have agreed in principle to be part of the Opposition-led Grand Alliance so that there is no division of non-NDA votes. “When we are forging pact with the RJD-led alliance, it is quite likely that Kanhaiya and Tejashwi will share the dais. After all, our purpose is to give the NDA a crushing defeat,” said State CPI secretary and former MLA Ram Naresh Pandey.

This will be major shift in the stand since 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when the RJD had refused to withdraw its candidate from Begusarai parliamentary constituency from where CPI’s Kanhaiya Kumar was pitted against BJP’s Union Minister Giriraj Singh. With the split in non-BJP votes, Kanhaiya lost his debut parliamentary poll.

“This time Tejashwi Yadav has authorised RJD State president Jagdanand Singh to rope in all like-minded parties, including the Left. The seat-sharing pact will also be a smooth affair,” said RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary.

The JD (U), however, took potshots at the possibility of coming together of Kanhaiya and Tejashwi. “It will be interesting to watch how a doctorate and a non-matriculate will jointly address the gathering,” said JD (U) Minister Neeraj Kumar in an oblique reference to qualifications of Kanhaiya and Tejashwi respectively.