Patna (Bihar) [India]: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha expressed confidence on Wednesday that the Mahagathbandhan, led by Tejashwi Yadav, will secure a significant victory in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
“We are not astrologers, nor are we experts in EVM manipulation. We are confident that under Tejashwi’s leadership, the Mahagathbandhan will secure more seats than the majority,” Jha told media.
This statement comes in response to remarks made by Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Chirag Paswan, who on January 9 asserted that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would form the government in Bihar by securing over 225 seats in the assembly polls.
“NDA will not break. This is not going to happen. The five constituent parties of Bihar will fight the assembly elections together. A strong NDA government is going to be formed in the Bihar assembly elections. We will win more than 225 seats,” Paswan said confidently.
Reacting to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s recent comments about his return to the INDIA bloc, Jha refrained from making direct remarks. Instead, he focused on the Mahagathbandhan’s vision for Bihar.
“It will not be appropriate to comment on him. His involvement in going ‘Idhar-Udhar,’ including RJD, Tejashwi, and Lalu Ji, will not affect us. We have a blueprint for change, focused on industries, women’s empowerment, and providing employment to the youth. We are working on that blueprint and are not concerned with anyone’s movements here or there,” Jha stated.
Earlier, on January 5, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took a veiled dig at the opposition, referring to his earlier alliance with the RJD as a mistake.
“What was the condition of women earlier? Since we started the ‘Jeevika Didi’ scheme, women are happy, and whenever they need help, they are given help. I had mistakenly gone with them (opposition), but now I am with my old friends. Did they (Opposition) do any work for women? We have worked for everyone—be it Hindus, Muslims, upper castes, backward classes, Dalits, or women. People should remember this,” Kumar said.
Notably, Kumar formally broke ties with the RJD last year, resigning as Chief Minister and rejoining the BJP within hours to form a new NDA government in Bihar. The political maneuver occurred on January 28, marking a significant shift in the state’s political landscape.