Patna, March 16 (NationPress) Leaders of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) have accused the BJP-led NDA of leveraging financial influence and governmental authority to sway the results of the Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar, following their recent loss.

Tejashwi Yadav, the national working president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), claimed that numerous MLAs were inhibited from participating in the voting process.

“The BJP deployed its financial resources and state machinery to prevent our four MLAs from voting. This is the true nature of the BJP,” Yadav remarked.

He noted that the Grand Alliance entered the fray even with a numerical disadvantage.

“We were aware that the Mahagathbandhan had 35 MLAs, which left us six votes short, while the NDA was lacking three. Despite this, we chose to contest. I will persist in opposing the BJP's ideology,” he asserted.

Yadav mentioned support from five MLAs of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and one from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

“If our MLAs had not turned against us, victory would have been ours. We'll address the issue regarding our absent MLAs later,” he said.

RJD leader A. D. Singh also accused the opposition of engaging in unethical practices during the elections.

“We faced defeat despite having the potential to win. There was indeed horse-trading among our MLAs,” he stated.

On another note, Rajesh Ram, the Bihar state president of the Indian National Congress, claimed that three Congress MLAs were kidnapped and held under house arrest using governmental resources.

“They were denied the chance to vote,” Ram charged.

Mukesh Sahani, founder of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), also slammed the BJP, alleging that four MLAs from the Mahagathbandhan were hindered from casting their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections.

While addressing reporters in Patna, Sahani claimed that the alliance possessed more than the necessary 41 votes, yet the BJP reportedly utilized financial clout and influence to obstruct MLAs from exercising their voting rights.

“The BJP does not uphold democratic values or respect the Constitution. Its sole objective is to cling to power by any means necessary,” he commented.

Sahani further claimed that similar financial tactics were employed during the previous Bihar Assembly elections, asserting that the same strategies were repeated in the Rajya Sabha polls.

He expressed concerns that when the NDA announced five candidates, it raised alarms about potential attempts to sway MLAs through monetary incentives and administrative pressure.

“BJP leaders and NDA candidates are resorting to horse-trading to secure victory in this democratic election, which is a criminal act,” Sahani asserted.

Sahani also alleged that four MLAs from his party had earlier been lured away by the BJP.

He urged representatives to honor the trust that voters placed in them and refrain from compromising their integrity for financial benefits.