New Delhi [India], October 18 : As the elections in Bihar come closer, Congress leader Manickam Tagore on Saturday raised concerns over the ruling National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) prospects across the state, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party's treatment of senior leaders like Nitish Kumar suggests "manipulation".
The Congress MP accused the BJP of pursuing a "hidden agenda" and pointed to its treatment of senior leaders, such as Nitish Kumar, as indicative of manipulation reminiscent of the Eknath Shinde episode in Maharashtra.
Speaking to ANI on the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, Tagore said, "It is the BJP's hidden agenda and their treatment of senior leaders like Nitish Babu, suggesting manipulation which is similar to the Eknath Shinde situation in Maharashtra."
The Congress MP further highlighted seat-sharing tensions within the JD(U), asserting that disagreements over allocations could jeopardise the NDA's electoral performance in the state.
"The Janata Dal (United) faces seat-related issues within the NDA alliance; this will lead to the NDA's loss in Bihar," Tagore said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said Tejashwi Yadav, a "very popular candidate" and the former deputy CM, should be declared the Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial candidate.
She also stressed that mistakes in seat allocation and candidate selection, which were seen in Maharashtra, must not be repeated in Bihar.
The 243 Assembly seats will go to the polls on November 6 and November 11, with counting of votes to be held on November 14.
This upcoming electoral contest will be between the NDA, led by the BJP, and Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), and the INDIA bloc, led by Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
The INDIA bloc also includes the Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state.