Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said after the Rajya Sabha election results that his party’s victory would have been assured if certain individuals had not “betrayed” them. He made the statement while speaking to the media following the announcement of results.
In Patna, the RJD faced defeat in the recent Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav stated that if some legislators had been present to vote on time, the party would have secured a win. The RJD had expected its candidate to receive sufficient support during the election in the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
However, three Congress legislators and one RJD legislator did not turn up to vote at the crucial moment. As a result, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates secured victory, and the RJD had to accept defeat.
Tejashwi Yadav, speaking to the media, said, “If some people had not betrayed us, our victory would have been certain today. The NDA was short of three votes, while we had the full count. Even then, we chose to fight and did not want to bow before them. We will always oppose their ideology. Four people remained absent during voting today; we will respond to this later.”
He further said that despite support from opposition allies, the party lost. He stated that five legislators from AIMIM and one from BSP extended support. “If someone is absent, you all know the conduct and character of the BJP. Deception and use of machinery have always been their methods. This is not limited to Bihar; it has been seen in several other states. Action will be decided later,” he said.
Tejashwi Yadav stated that five AIMIM legislators and one BSP legislator supported NDA candidates. Their support affected the Mahagathbandhan’s strategy and resulted in losses for the RJD. All five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar were won by the NDA. The absence of four legislators from the opposition Mahagathbandhan during voting altered the political arithmetic and gave the NDA a decisive advantage.
Among NDA candidates, Janata Dal (United) national president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar received 44 votes. BJP state president Nitin Navin also secured 44 votes. Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha and JD(U)’s Ramnath Thakur received 42 votes each. Mahagathbandhan candidate and RJD’s Amarendra Dhari Singh received 37 votes. After the counting of second-preference votes, BJP’s Shivesh Ram won, and the fifth seat also went to the NDA.
