PATNA, Aug. 2 -- Lack of coordination within the INDIA bloc or Grand Alliance (GA) in Bihar was triggered in public by Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) spokesman Asit Nath Tiwari through a social media post on Saturday, in which he delivered a sharp rebuke to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for acting like a "big brother" that takes smaller allies for granted. "In Bihar, in the INDIA alliance, the biggest component party is the RJD. Therefore, the RJD's responsibility is also bigger," Tiwari asserted in his post. He further noted that discussions have begun among RJD workers themselves questioning whether Tejashwi Yadav has struck any understanding with the BJP, framing the speculation as a symptom of deeper strains within the opposition camp. Political analyst and former professor of BS College Rama Shankar Arya said the bickering that marked the just-concluded Bankipur assembly bypoll reflects that all is not well within the INDIA bloc. Beneath the public posturing of unity, the GA remains strained by familiar fault lines of coordination failures, delayed leadership engagement and simmering resentments over the RJD's dominant role, Arya observed. The Bankipur contest, held in a traditional BJP stronghold in Patna, exposed a marked absence of seamless coordination among INDIA partners. Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the RJD's de facto leader and the alliance's most prominent face in Bihar, was away in Europe on vacation during the crucial early phase of the campaign. He returned to Patna only when polling was a couple of days away and promptly launched roadshows in a bid to connect with voters and energise the base. While his late intervention injected some momentum, alliance partners observed that the INDIA bloc could have performed more effectively had all constituents been seen working together in concert from the outset. Congress and Left party workers campaigned for the RJD nominee, Rekha Gupta (also known as Rekha Kumari), but largely on separate tracks. A more visible joint effort-shared platforms, coordinated messaging and collective mobilisation-could have yielded stronger results, according to voices within the alliance. Gupta, who had contested the seat in the November 2025 Assembly elections and secured nearly 47,000 votes, was fielded again after the Mahagathbandhan decided against extending support to Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor. The bypoll drew national attention partly because of Kishor's debut candidacy, yet the opposition's internal dynamics remained a quieter but telling subplot. RJD MLA and party spokesperson Bhai Birendra defended Tejashwi's approach, insisting that the leader has consistently sought better coordination among INDIA bloc partners in Bihar. "But what better can he (Tejashwi) do if the alliance leaders do not turn up for meetings on his calls?" Birendra asked. He maintained that all constituents had worked at their level best for the success of the RJD candidate and that the final result would reflect their dedication. At the same time, he acknowledged the larger imperative: "A better coordination among INDIA allies is the need of the hour to uproot the NDA, which is already facing the heat of Gen Z protests." The BJP sought to exploit the visible gaps. Party spokesman Ajay Alok alleged a tacit understanding between the RJD and the JSP during the Bankipur bypoll-an accusation Bhai Birendra dismissed outright as totally baseless and misleading. Such strains are not new. In previous assembly elections, Congress candidates on multiple seats found themselves locked in "friendly fights" against nominees of alliance partners, evidence that seat-sharing arrangements had frayed and that the RJD's organisational primacy left limited room for equitable negotiation....