‘Seat Differences, Friendly Fights Hurt Us’: Congress’s Tariq Anwar On INDIA Bloc’s Bihar Collapse

Last Updated:November 17, 2025, 13:57 IST

Tariq Anwar blames INDIA bloc’s Bihar poll loss on seat disputes and infighting as Rohini Acharya’s family feud with Tejashwi Yadav adds turmoil to RJD’s worst electoral setback.

Congress MP Tariq Anwar (ANI)

Congress leader and former Union Minister Tariq Anwar on Monday acknowledged that internal disagreements within the INDIA bloc contributed to its poor performance in the Bihar elections. Speaking about the alliance’s setback, Anwar said that “differences over seats and friendly fights" were among the key reasons for the defeat.

He noted that the inability of parties to arrive at a cohesive seat-sharing arrangement had weakened the alliance’s electoral impact, ultimately benefiting the NDA.

Anwar’s comments come after the 2025 mandate reduced the Opposition benches to a mere 35 seats, an alarming contraction marked by a collective loss of 79 seats compared to the previous Assembly.

The Congress managed to win only 6 seats this time, compared to the 19 it secured in the previous election, a deficit of 13 seats.

Under the seat-sharing arrangement, the RJD contested 143 constituencies while the Congress fielded candidates in 61.

The NDA, meanwhile, clinched 202 seats, with the BJP becoming the single largest party at 89 seats, followed closely by the JD(U) with 85.

Responding to RJD leader Rohini Acharya’s recent remarks who accused her younger brother and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav of mistreatment, Anwar said her comments were a “family matter" but added that they were “unfortunate." He cautioned that such statements were not good for Tejashwi or his family, especially at a time when the opposition needs to project unity.

His remarks came after Rohini Acharya announced she was quitting politics and publicly accused members of her own family of humiliation, abuse that triggered a political storm. She alleged that she was subjected to humiliation, including abusive language, an attempt to assault her with a slipper and her kidney being called “dirty".

“Yesterday, a daughter, a sister, a married woman, a mother was humiliated, filthy abuses were hurled at her, a slipper was raised to hit her. I did not compromise on my self-respect, I did not surrender the truth, and solely because of this, I had to endure this insult…Yesterday, a daughter, out of compulsion, left behind her crying parents and sisters and came away; they tore me away from my maternal home… They left me orphaned…May none of you ever walk my path, may no family ever have a daughter-sister like Rohini," she said in a post on X.

Rohini, who donated a kidney to her father and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav in 2022, alleged that she was subjected to “filthy abuses" during a confrontation involving two of Tejashwi Yadav’s closest aides, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav and long-time associate Rameez.

She accused them of maligning her by claiming she had “taken crores" from the family after the kidney donation, calling the allegation an “insult beyond forgiveness."

The dramatic family turmoil comes at a time when the RJD is facing its sharpest political setback in years. With the Mahagathbandhan winning barely 35 seats, the blame game within the party has intensified, focusing on Tejashwi’s campaign strategy and the influence of his close aides.

News politics ‘Seat Differences, Friendly Fights Hurt Us’: Congress’s Tariq Anwar On INDIA Bloc’s Bihar Collapse

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