Unusual Campaign Battle: Tejashwi Yadav to Campaign Against Candidate Using RJD's Own Symbol in Bihar Election

Tejashwi Yadav is spearheading the Rashtriya Janata Dal's election campaign for the upcoming Bihar polls, but faces an unusual predicament in one constituency.

Internal discord within the Mahagathbandhan alliance has created an extraordinary situation in Darbhanga district's Gaura Bauram constituency, where Tejashwi Yadav will be campaigning against a candidate running on his own party's symbol.

The alliance partners encountered significant challenges during seat distribution negotiations, with some disagreements remaining unresolved. This has resulted in several constituencies witnessing 'friendly fights' between Mahagathbandhan allies competing against each other.

In Gaura Bauram, however, the consequences of these difficult negotiations have reached an unprecedented level. Prior to finalizing seat-sharing arrangements within the Opposition bloc, RJD had selected Afzal Ali Khan as its candidate for the constituency. The party leadership provided Khan with its official symbol and documentation confirming his status as the RJD candidate.

Khan, elated by his nomination, immediately departed for his constituency, approximately four hours from Patna, eager to begin campaigning. However, while he was en route, RJD negotiators and Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) concluded a seat-sharing agreement. Under this arrangement, Gaura Bauram was allocated to VIP, with all Mahagathbandhan partners agreeing to support VIP's candidate Santosh Sahni.

RJD leadership subsequently contacted Afzal Ali Khan, requesting he return the party symbol and withdraw from the race. Khan refused and proceeded to file his nomination as the RJD candidate. Though RJD officials informed electoral authorities they did not endorse Khan's candidacy, the authorities stated they could not remove him from the contest since he had submitted his nomination with proper documentation.

Consequently, the RJD's lantern symbol will appear beside Afzal Ali Khan's name on the Electronic Voting Machine, while Tejashwi Yadav campaigns against a candidate representing his own party's symbol. The Mahagathbandhan allies, including RJD, will support VIP candidate Santosh Sahni, but the confusion stemming from Khan's candidature will likely influence the electoral outcome.

A similar situation occurred during the recent Lok Sabha election in Rajasthan's Banswara constituency. Congress initially nominated Arvind Damor as its candidate but later decided to support Bharat Adivasi Party candidate Rajkumar Roat, asking Damor to return the party symbol. Damor disappeared, returning only after the deadline had passed. This resulted in Congress leaders campaigning against a candidate bearing their party's 'hand' symbol. While Roat ultimately won the election, Damor still secured over 60,000 votes – enough to potentially alter results in close contests.

The Gaura Bauram seat was previously won by VIP's Swarna Singh in the 2020 Bihar elections, though Singh later defected to BJP. In both the 2010 and 2015 elections, JDU claimed victory in this constituency.