Unease in Oppn as Cong may cash yatra for seats

AHEAD OF SEAT-SHARING TALKS

- Subhash Pathak

PATNA: Energised by the overwhelming public turnout at its ongoing Voter Adhikar Yatra, the Indian National Congress is recalibrating its approach within Bihar’s Opposition coalition, seeking a stronger foothold in seat allocations ahead of the upcoming assembly polls.

The statewide campaign, spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi, has spotlighted issues like electoral integrity and voter rights, drawing massive crowds and prompting senior Congress figures to advocate for more viable constituencies from ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). This shift, however, has exposed underlying frictions in the Mahagathbandhan, with Rahul Gandhi's evasion on endorsing RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as the coalition’s chief ministerial candidate fuelling debates on leadership and unity.