The tussle between Bihar’s main opposition party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and its ally Congress have come out into the open after Congress MLA Ajit Sharma questioned Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as the CM face of the grand-alliance even as the RJD reiterated that there was no discontent over the former deputy CM’s candidature in the assembly elections due in October-November. Earlier, Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh had said that the Congress would get a respectable number of seats in the assembly polls. In the 2020 elections, the Congress had contested 70 seats of which the party could win only 19 seats. Krishna Allavaru, who has made several visits to Bihar after being appointed to lead the Bihar Congress, has not even once called on RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who is considered the patriarch of the Congress-RJD alliance. A senior RJD leader said that Allavaru’s actions had not gone down well with Lalu Prasad, the former Chief Minister of Bihar who is close to both Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. The RJD and the Congress leaders have been making unpleasant statements over seat-sharing but the two parties are yet to start negotiations. The Congress central leadership has called a meeting with its Bihar leaders on March 12 for planning and strategizing. On the other hand, at the CPI-ML (Liberation)’s Gandhi Maidan event on March 2, the opposition party started its election campaign with the ‘Badlo Bihar’ rally. The party’s general secretary, Dipankar Bhattacharya, urged people to overthrow the NDA government in Bihar as it was the perfect time to replicate Jharkhand’s electoral history in Bihar. Dipankar supports Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav’s call for the provision of 200-unit free electricity to the residents of Bihar, similar to the model in Jharkhand. Additionally, he suggested and supported monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 for the impoverished women in Bihar.
TWIN DEFEATS FOR REVANTH REDDY IN TELANGANA MLC ELECTIONS
The win of the BJP on two out of three MLC seats in Telangana has given a major boost to the party in the state while the outcome is a major setback for the Congress government, which has been at the helm for 15 months. Of the three seats — one graduates and two under teachers quota — BJP won the graduates seat and one teachers seat while a teachers’ union candidate won the third seat. The victory seems to be a fresh challenge for both the ruling Congress and the main opposition, BRS, as the saffron party continues to expand its footprint in the state since the 2023 Assembly elections. For the Congress, the loss of their sitting graduate MLC seat is a major blow. Despite campaigns, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the results delivered a shocking defeat. This setback could bring down the party’s image in north Telangana and dampen the morale of second-tier leaders, even as Congress still has three-and-a-half years left in power.
EYEING 2027 STATE POLLS, UP’S SAMAJWADIS WOO WOMEN VOTERS
Samajwadi Party has started preparations for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due in 2027. The Akhilesh Yadav-led party has promised to introduce the ‘Stree Samman-Samriddhi Yojana’ if voted to power in the state and the party has roped in popular TV actress Ankita Lokhande for popularising the scheme among the masses. Beside the direct money transfer, the scheme also promised mobile phones, laptops and setting up PDA pathshala for skill development.
MARANDI IS JHARKHAND BJP LEGISLATIVE PARTY LEADER
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and party’s state president Babulal Marandi was chosen as the BJP legislative party leader in the state assembly. Marandi was selected for the post unanimously in the presence of two central observers — Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav and the party’s OBC Morcha national president, Dr K Laxman. Given the BJP’s one-person, one-post practice, speculation is rife over Marandi’s successor as Jharkhand BJP Chief. According to sources, Raghubar Das is the frontrunner. In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the ruling INDIA bloc has 56 MLAs — JMM 34, Congress 16, RJD four and CPI (ML) Liberation two — and the BJP has 21 members while the AJSU Party, JD(U) and LJP (RV) and JLKM one each.
CONGRESS INVITE TO MAYAWATI’S EXPELLED NEPHEW, AKASH ANAND
After BSP president Mayawati expelled her nephew Akash Anand from the party, Dalit leader Udit Raj invited Akash Anand and offered him to join the Congress, alleging that Mayawati has “BJPised” the BSP and strengthened the BJP. Raj, a former MP and prominent figure in the Dalit movement, accused Mayawati of betraying the party’s principles and claimed that she strategically took certain decisions which have directly benefited the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. He also claimed that Mayawati helped Modi become Prime Minister and that at least 25 seats would have been affected had she chosen the INDIA bloc. The statements come at a time when the Congress has been trying to reconnect the Dalit community in UP. The Congress thinks Dalits have been the Congress’ traditional voters, before they were hijacked by the BSP. (IPA Service)
Women In Urban Settlements Are Battling Intersectional Challenges 