BIHAR ALLIANCE FACES RIFT AFTER CONGRESS-RJD TIFF

Post election recriminations between Congress and RJD deepen uncertainty over Bihar opposition alliance.

- TIKAM SHARMA NEW DELHI

The opposition Mahagathbandhan in Bihar is witnessing fresh turbulence in the aftermath of its Assembly election defeat, as senior leaders of alliance partners—the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)—have publicly traded sharp remarks, casting doubts over the alliance's future.

Sources within the coalition told The Sunday Guardian that internal differences, which first surfaced during the election campaign, have deepened since the results were declared. What was once confined to closed-door discussions has now erupted into the open, with leaders from both parties labelling each other a "burden" and signalling the possibility of a political recalibration.

Earlier this week, senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed termed the party's partnership with the RJD a "loss-making arrangement," arguing that remaining in the Grand Alliance would further erode the Congress's electoral prospects in Bihar. He said the alliance has been reduced to a formality and no longer offers tangible benefits to the Congress, either at the ballot box or in terms of organisational growth.