Tejashwi plays hardball, says open to boycott Bihar polls

Playing hardball on special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday asserted that the option is open for his party and its allies to "boycott" the assembly polls in the state due later this year.

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In response, NDA leaders claimed that Yadav's comment indicates the opposition party has "conceded defeat".

The leader of the opposition hardened his stance during an interaction with journalists outside the assembly, minutes after telling the House that he was "not opposed to SIR per se", but the manner in which the Election Commission was carrying out the exercise gave rise to many misgivings.

"The option is open for boycott of elections. We will take a decision after discussing the matter with other parties. What is the point in contesting elections if we are convinced that these are not going to be free and fair", the former deputy CM said.