Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD chief Lalu Yadav, has ignited fresh debate over opposition unity in Bihar by proposing that Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj join forces to reduce the BJP-led NDA to zero seats in the state.
In a social media post, Acharya presented the recent Legislative Council elections as a template for defeating the ruling alliance. “The MLC elections in Bihar have provided a formula to defeat the BJP/NDA in the state: TJ + PK = BJP/NDA ZERO. If the votes secured by the RJD and Jan Suraaj are combined, the BJP/NDA would lose all eight seats in the very first round of counting. PS: Just wait and see what happens next!!” she wrote.
In a follow-up post, she added, “The BJP has always benefited from a fragmented opposition. If the opposition unites – armed with the right strategy and a strong grassroots base – and prevents the splitting of votes, defeating the BJP is entirely possible. A united opposition possesses much stronger social and political equations.”
Her arithmetic draws on the council poll numbers. While Jan Suraaj won one seat and the RJD two, the combined first-preference votes of the two parties surpassed the NDA’s tally in seven of the eight constituencies. In the Kosi Graduates’ seat, won by the BJP’s NK Yadav with 24,258 votes, the RJD polled 18,918 and Jan Suraaj 15,536 – a combined 34,454. In Patna Graduates’, the JD(U) winner’s 16,267 votes trailed the opposition’s combined 25,163. Similar patterns played out in the Saran Teachers’, Darbhanga Graduates’, Darbhanga Teachers’, Patna Teachers’ and Tirhut Teachers’ constituencies. The sole exception was Tirhut Graduates’, where the NDA’s 19,913 votes exceeded the combined opposition total of 17,258.
Whether the equation will translate into an actual alliance remains uncertain. Jan Suraaj leader Kishor Kumar Munna told NDTV: “The reality of Bihar politics is that if Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar join forces, the BJP is finished. Conversely, if the BJP and Nitish Kumar unite, the RJD is finished. In other words, when two parties align, the third is left with nothing. The data from the Legislative Council elections suggests that if Prashant (Kishor) and Tejashwi (Yadav) were to come together, the BJP would be wiped out.”
His remarks, however, did not signal any imminent tie-up, with the party asserting it intends to fight on its own for now. “We have reached this point after two years of struggle. Back then, we were dismissed as mere ‘vote-splitters.’ Now, we are receiving invitations. Just wait another two years; Jan Suraaj will emerge as the strongest alternative in Bihar,” Munna said.
RJD leaders have declined to comment on the matter.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rohini-acharyas-tejashwi-yadav-prashant-kishor-equation-for-bihar-12256035#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-10-30 00:41:00
