PATNA: After facing a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, the members of the mahagatbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar have already started blaming each other for their downfall.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which has been leading the alliance, failed to open its account, while the Congress managed to win one seat in Kishanganj. The disintegration of the mahagatbandhan appears to be imminent.

The entire blame has now shifted to the autocratic functioning of RJD leaders during the elections. Bihar Congress chief Kaukab Quadari was the first person to blame the RJD for the setback.

“It would be better if the Congress party goes to the polls alone in the forthcoming state assembly elections in 2020. The party should revive its own base instead of going in alliance with the RJD,” he said.

Quadari admitted that the party failed to garner the upper caste votes, whereas the NDA, which had an organised machinery, managed to get those upper caste votes through 10 per cent reservation.

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Blaming the RJD for opposing the 10 per cent reservation, he said the RJD’s stance on the issue also spoilt the mahagatbandhan's poll performances.  Reacting to the allegations, leaders from RJD raised questions on Congress' countrywide performance where they fought sans allies.

Sources said that the Congress party may depart from the alliance soon and prepare for the assembly elections alone. Meanwhile, one of the spokespersons of the RJD, Chitranjan Gagan told the TNIE that the party’s working committee will hold a review meeting at Rabri Devi’s residence on May 28 and 29 with all its senior party functionaries.

The party leaders will take stock of what went wrong and what should be the future course of the party’s actions. Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav through Twitter thanked the workers of the party and said 
the party leaders will sort out the causes for the defeat and work for winning the assembly elections with renewed spirits.

Taking a jibe at RJD’s proposed review meeting, JD(U) senior leader and spokesperson Niraj Kumar wondered what would be the utility of holding a review meeting when the RJD has virtually been eliminated.

He said, "When the tickets for the Lok Sabha elections were distributed from Ranchi’s Hotwar jail in which RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is lodged now in connection with fodder scam, the meeting ought to be held there instead of being held in Patna”.

Kumar claimed that many MLAs of the RJD have been in constant touch with the NDA about
switching sides.