Patna: The opposition coalition in Bihar has finally sewn up its seat deal. One big surprise is that Kanhaiya Kumar’s name is conspicuous by his absence. The former president of the JNU student’s union was widely expected to be the opposition’s candidate from Begusarai.

A part of the problem is that the seat was initially meant to be given to CPI but after the coalition discussions it has fallen in the lap of the RJD. Leaders of Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal say Kanhaiya Kumar’s name was never part of the discussions.

In private, however, they said that Tejashwi “didn’t like” Kanhaiya Kumar as he hardly returned calls whenever the RJD leader tried to reach out to him. There is also a lurking fear that Kanhaiya, a skilled orator, may outshine Tejashwi, Lalu Prasad’s younger and more politically astute son.