Tejashwi Yadav has announced his candidacy for all 243 constituencies in the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections. He is not the only leader with such aspirations; Prashant Kishor, Arvind Kejriwal, and Mayawati have all declared similar ambitions. Yet, each has their own unique strategy and reasons behind their announcements.
Interestingly, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav made this declaration at a time when there is uncertainty regarding the opposition's candidate for Chief Minister in Bihar. The choice of location to announce the bid - Muzaffarpur - is also significant. Currently, Congress holds the Muzaffarpur constituency, and it's noteworthy that Rahul Gandhi and his Bihar team have hesitated to endorse Tejashwi Yadav as the face of the Chief Minister from the grand alliance.
With Congress not openly supporting an opposition candidate for Chief Minister in Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav is maneuvering in different ways to position himself as the candidate for the role. He previously made similar efforts during the Voter Rights Journey, which included Rahul Gandhi accompanying him.
Following the completion of the Voter Rights Journey with Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav is now embarking on a solo initiative – the 'Bihar Rights Journey.'
Is this simply a strategy to pressurize Congress and checkmate the influence established by Rahul Gandhi?
Or is it an attempt by Tejashwi Yadav to cover any remaining gaps before the election, post the Voter Rights Journey?
Significance of Tejashwi's bid for 243 seats
From the outset, Prashant Kishor, with his Jan Suraj Party, has consistently pledged to field candidates in all constituencies in Bihar. Recently, Mayawati also declared that her BSP will contest all seats independently in Bihar. Similarly, Arvind Kejriwal from the Aam Aadmi Party has made similar statements. During the Delhi elections, he advised his team to consider him contesting in all seats.
Previously, even Chirag Paswan from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) spoke along these lines. As questions arose, explanations followed. In the 2020 elections, he contested 135 seats, seen as a strategy against Nitish Kumar's JDU. He clarified later that contesting all seats meant collectively fighting strongly for the NDA.
Does Tejashwi Yadav's intention to contest all seats reflect Chirag Paswan’s approach, or is it something else? Is it possibly a move to apply reverse pressure on Congress?
During a speech in Muzaffarpur, Tejashwi Yadav told his supporters, "We will return... You must realize that Tejashwi is contesting every seat in Bihar.'
While it may sound similar to the strategies of Chirag Paswan and Arvind Kejriwal, analyzing the Muzaffarpur seat reveals a different significance since Congress currently holds it. A won seat would typically be reclaimed in negotiations. Besides Muzaffarpur, Tejashwi Yadav mentioned Bochaha, Gaighat, and Kanti constituencies.
Tejashwi's assertion that every seat is like contesting himself parallels the campaigning style seen from former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the end of the 2014 general election campaign, Modi appealed for votes in his name. By 2019, the 'Modi brand' was fully presented - Is RJD aiming to introduce the 'Tejashwi brand' in Bihar as an alternative to the 'Nitish brand'?
Tejashwi Yadav is embarking on a new journey. Compared to the Voter Rights Journey, this endeavor is shorter. The Voter Rights Journey traveled from Sasaram to Patna. The 'Bihar Rights Journey' is set to commence on December 16 in Jehanabad and conclude on September 20, covering 10 districts in Bihar, including Jehanabad, Nalanda, Patna, Begusarai, Khagaria, Madhepura, Saharsa, Supaul, Samastipur, and Vaishali.
This journey includes public interactions in constituencies it passes through. However, discussions suggest that Tejashwi Yadav aims to visit regions outside the Voter Rights Journey's scope before announcing election dates in Bihar.
During the Voter Rights Journey, Rahul Gandhi stole the show. Tejashwi Yadav walked alongside, referring to him as his elder brother. He even appealed to make Rahul Gandhi the next Prime Minister, yet Rahul Gandhi remains non-committal about projecting Tejashwi Yadav as the opposition's chief ministerial candidate in Bihar elections.
Thus, the Bihar Rights Journey appears to be an attempt by Tejashwi Yadav to heighten pressure on Congress. As Rahul Gandhi’s influence in Bihar takes hold, Tejashwi Yadav strives to neutralize its effects while seeking to strengthen his hold over the grand alliance.