Pappu Yadav urges Congress to rethink Bihar alliance after RJD's bypoll debacle, cites 'new political situation'
The Congress, TMC, AAP, RJD, and DMK are among the INDIA bloc parties that fielded candidates in the assembly bypolls.
Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan, better known as Pappu Yadav, urged the Congress party on Saturday to move away from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar after Lalu Prasad Yadav's party not only failed to win the Rupauli by-election but couldn't even finish as the runner-up.
INDIA bloc parties won in 10 out of 13 assembly assembly constituencies that went to the polls earlier this week. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could win just two seats, while an Independent candidate clinched one.
Read: Bypoll results: INDIA bloc secures landslide win with 10 of 13 seats, BJP bags 2; independent 1
Among the INDIA bloc members, Congress registered victory in four assembly constituencies – two each in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand – while Mamata Banerjee's TMC won all four assembly seats that were up for grabs. Dravida Munetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were able to win one seat each.
“The byelection results are in favour of the INDIA alliance, and we will win the upcoming Assembly polls in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana,” Pappu Yadav told PTI.
Read: Bypoll results: Rahul Gandhi says BJP's ‘web of fear’ broken; Chidambaram urges caution
However, the Purnea MP asserted that a new political situation has emerged in Bihar since people are angry with both JD(U) and RJD.
Pappu Yadav, who had merged his Jan Adhikar Party with the Congress, contested as an Independent in the Lok Sabha election after the RJD – a senior INDIA partner in Bihar – fielded Bima Bharti from Purnea.
Bima Bharti faced an embarrassing defeat in the Lok Sabha election and the RJD won in just four parliamentary constituencies, less than the tally of Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas).
RJD fielded Bima Bharti again from the Rupauli assembly seat, which had fallen vacant following her defection from JD(U). However, Bharti was restricted to the third position as Independent candidate Shankar Singh secured 68,070 votes while JD(U) candidate Kaladhar Prasad Mandal finished second with 59,824 votes.
“In Bihar, people are angry with the JD(U) and the RJD. This has created a new political situation in the state, which the Congress needs to understand,” Pappu Yadav said after bypoll results.
"Congress, I feel, should form a different alliance (in Bihar)," he added.