Patna, March 18 (IANS) Stepping up his attack after the Rajya Sabha election setback, BJP MLA Rajnish Kumar Singh on Wednesday alleged that Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav deliberately fielded AD Singh despite anticipating defeat, turning him into a political scapegoat.
The BJP MLA from Teghara Assembly constituency of Begusarai district alleged that Tejashwi Yadav was already aware that the RJD candidate might lose the election, yet he went ahead with his nomination.
He termed this a calculated move, claiming that a prominent Bhumihar face was deliberately made a scapegoat.
Rajnish Singh further argued that had Tejashwi been confident of winning, he would have fielded a member of his own family, suggesting that the leadership anticipated defeat beforehand.
He also alleged that large sums of money were spent during the elections, but the party still failed to secure a win.
In the closely contested election, BJP candidate Shivesh Kumar Ram clinched the fifth seat after a tight contest with AD Singh on Monday. The outcome was decided after counting second-preference votes, where the BJP candidate eventually gained the edge.
The defeat has largely been attributed to the absence of Mahagathbandhan MLAs. Four legislators — belonging to both Congress and RJD — remained absent and did not vote. Had at least three of these MLAs supported AD Singh, he could have secured victory in the first round itself.
Raising this issue, Rajnish Singh demanded accountability from Tejashwi Yadav, questioning why three Congress MLAs and one RJD MLA failed to vote. He accused the opposition leader of failing to coordinate with alliance partners effectively.
The BJP leader further claimed that the election results reflect weakening control of Tejashwi Yadav over both his party and allies. “When a leader cannot ensure support from his own legislators, it raises serious questions about leadership,” he remarked.
Describing Tejashwi Yadav as an inexperienced player, Singh alleged that he failed to maintain unity within the alliance, thereby exposing internal fault lines within the Mahagathbandhan.
–IANS
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