Bihar elections: INDIA bloc kicks off strategy meet at Tejashwi's house; focus on seat allocation

NEW DELHI: The INDIA bloc allies held a strategic meeting on Saturday at Rashtriya Janata Dal's chief Tejashwi Yadav's house, primarily focusing on seat allocation for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.The schedule for the Bihar election is still not out, but all the parties are trying their bit to convince the voters that they are better than the others. The discussions, which lasted nearly six hours, were led by Yadav, who heads the coalition's coordination committee. In a brief media interaction afterwards, he confirmed the commencement of seat-sharing talks but maintained discretion about specific details.The RJD leader, anticipated to be the INDIA bloc's chief ministerial nominee, criticised the NDA administration under Nitish Kumar, accusing it of imitating his initiatives, including the youth commission and increased old age pension. He stated, "Mai Bahin Samman Yojana will also be copied by them soon."Yadav expressed confidence in his promise to provide women with a monthly stipend of Rs 2,500 if his party assumes power. He highlighted the NDA government's perceived ineffectiveness in maintaining law and order.Responding to NDA partner Chirag Paswan's concerns about deteriorating security, Yadav suggested he should inform the Centre about the 'jungle raj' in Bihar. The term 'jungle raj' is frequently used by BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to reference RJD's previous governance record.The meeting included Congress' Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, VIP president Mukesh Sahani, and Left party representatives. Sahani later confirmed the discussions about seat-sharing and mentioned plans regarding the coordination committee and special intensive revision of electoral rolls.When questioned about the deputy chief minister position under a potential Yadav leadership, Sahani, a former Bollywood set designer who previously aligned with BJP, responded with a smile, "who else, but me," before departing.