On Grand Alliance's Bihar Manifesto, Pictures Say A Thousand Words

The Grand Alliance might have stolen a march on the NDA by bringing out its manifesto first, but the presentation of the images of Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi is expected to invite some barbs. The BJP had not passed up the chance to take digs at the opposition alliance when the Chief Ministerial candidate was announced, because of the absence of Rahul Gandhi from the opposition posters. 

This time, it is Tejashwi Yadav whose image has been played up on the cover of the manifesto. Rahul Gandhi's thumbnail image adorns its left corner. 

The last time Rahul Gandhi's image was missing, the BJP had taken a swipe, saying Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal has shown the Congress its place. 

"Joint PC? But only one picture. Rahul Gandhi & Congress ka 'samman chori'. Showed Congress & Rahul his place?" BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla had posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Read: "Showed Rahul Gandhi His Place?" BJP's Swipe Before Mahagathbandhan Presser

He had even claimed that the RJD "virtually bullied and threatened Congress" to accept Tejashwi Yadav as its face. He added that RJD shot off a "chilling threat" to its ally, saying that it would give the Congress "zero seats" if it did not agree.

The seat-sharing issue in the Mahagathbandhan has failed to take off, leading to both Congress and the RJD fielding candidates unilaterally. This and the absence of Rahul Gandhi, have been issues the Congress has been at pains to explain. 

Senior party leader Pawan Khera had said since Gandhi was not the Chief Ministerial candidate, his presence is not mandatory. And the matter of posters, he had insisted, is a non-issue and does not even register with the state's young voters. 

Regarding the friendly fights with the RJD that have cropped up on a dozen assembly constituencies, both Khera and Tejashwi Yadav indicated that it was a deliberate decision in view of the "local dynamics" of certain seats. "These decisions are taken with absolute clear analysis of what equations are working on which seat. And that's how these decisions are taken," Pawan Khera had told NDTV in an exclusive interview.