RJD’s reliance on Kushwaha voters alienated others

Aksheev Thakur

New Delhi, June 5

Of Bihar’s 40 Lok Sabha seats, the RJD contested 23, the Vikassheel Insaan Party three seats, the Congress nine and the Left five. The RJD ended up winning only four, Congress three and CPI (ML) two. For Tejashwi Yadav the results were distressing as the RJD had spearheaded the campaign, giving less space to other opposition leaders.

Senior RJD leaders feel that its traditional Muslim-Yadav voter base was hit due to the party’s latest experiment of giving another OBC group — the Kushwahas (a traditional vote bank of the NDA) — more preference.

“The importance being given to Kushwaha voters at the cost of Muslim and Yadav communities backfired as rebels contested against the INDIA bloc nominees, be it in Nawada or other constituencies,” an RJD leader said.