New Delhi: A week ago, Mukesh Sahani was almost at the exit door of I.N.D.I.A bloc miffed at the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for not giving any clarity on the seats it could contest in Bihar elections. Walking out of an RJD-led alliance at the last minute was nothing new for Sahani as he had done the same five years ago.

Cold political calculations prompted the opposition alliance – battling internal strife with partners at each other’s throat over seats – to make a surprise announcement of Sahani as their Deputy Chief Ministerial face on Thursday despite earlier indications that RJD was in mood to do so.

Sources said one of the reasons for succumbing to Sahani’s pressure tactics was the 2020 election numbers when the Grand Alliance fell short of 15 seats with a gap of just around 12,700

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