‘We will contest all 243 seats’: Tejashwi Yadav asserts RJD’s claim amid Mahagathbandhan rift

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has announced that his party will contest all 243 assembly seats in Bihar, intensifying uncertainty within the Mahagathbandhan over seat-sharing.

Speaking at a workers’ rally in Kanti, Muzaffarpur, the Leader of Opposition launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, praised the political legacy of his father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, and then issued his bold call: “We will return. Understand this, Tejashwi will be contesting all 243 seats of Bihar.”

He went on to name constituencies including Muzaffarpur, Bochahan, Gaighat and Kanti, urging party cadres to prepare for a full-scale contest. His mention of Muzaffarpur, currently represented by a Congress MLA, has sparked speculation that the message was directed at alliance partners amid stalled talks.

The declaration comes at a politically sensitive moment. While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently sidestepped questions on the Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial face, Yadav’s statement signals his bid to project himself as the coalition’s natural leader.

Talks within the alliance, comprising Congress, Left parties, VIP, JMM and the LJP (Paras faction), remain deadlocked, with Congress demanding a larger share of seats.