Chirag Paswan Criticizes "Friendly Fights" as Bihar's Opposition Alliance Shows Signs of Fracture

Chirag Paswan warned Mahagathbandhan will face significant consequences for engaging in 'friendly fights'

New Delhi:

Union Minister Chirag Paswan today delivered a pointed critique of Bihar's Opposition Grand Alliance, asserting that the concept of "friendly fights" does not exist in politics, while claiming the INDIA bloc has essentially conceded numerous seats to the NDA.

Paswan, who heads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) as part of the NDA coalition, is fielding candidates in 29 constituencies for the upcoming Bihar election.

Following RJD's announcement of candidates for 143 seats, some overlapping with Congress nominations, Paswan remarked that as a seasoned political observer, he finds the current situation unprecedented. "I have never witnessed an election where such a substantial alliance stands on the brink of dissolution. While seat selection disagreements are common, they have failed to even establish their basic seat allocation," he stated.

In Patna, when questioned about RJD's decision to field 143 candidates in the Bihar Assembly elections, Union Minister Chirag Paswan expressed his astonishment, noting that he had never before seen such a major alliance approaching collapse. He further commented on the implications of this disarray within the opposition coalition.

The 243-member Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled for November 6 and 11, with today marking the final day for submitting nominations for the second polling phase. Mahagathbandhan partners have been unable to reach consensus on multiple seats, resulting in them competing against one another in several constituencies. These internal contests risk splitting opposition votes, potentially benefiting NDA candidates.

"The term 'friendly fight' is meaningless. You're either allies or opponents. If you're contesting elections against each other and criticizing each other's leadership, how can you expect this won't influence outcomes in other constituencies?" Paswan questioned.

"Mahagathbandhan will suffer serious repercussions for this approach. While the NDA was already advancing strongly, Mahagathbandhan has now essentially surrendered many previously competitive seats," he added.

The Tejashwi Yadav-led RJD today released its list of 143 candidates for the upcoming elections. Indicating internal discord within the Mahagathbandhan, the RJD has nominated candidates in four constituencies where Congress had already announced its contenders.

With RJD's announcement of 143 candidates, the Mahagathbandhan's seat distribution now stands at: RJD (143), Congress (55), CPIML (20), CPI (6), CPM (4), and VIP (15). Notably, Congress has already declared candidates for 60 seats, highlighting the coalition's coordination challenges.