PATNA, March 18 -- A day after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) wrested all five Rajya Sabha (RS) seats from Bihar, Congress MLA from Valmiki Nagar Surendra Prasad Kushwaha broke his silence through a Facebook post, claiming he abstained from voting owing to selection of a poor candidate by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The Congress MLA's assertion on the 'wrong choice', has apparently exposed fresh cracks in the Mahagathbandhan (MGB) and raised questions about the alliance's cohesiveness ahead of future electoral battles, including the state elections in five states. Kushwaha was among the four candidates, including RJD MLA from Dhaka Faisal Rahman, who did not turn up for voting in the crucial RS polls on Monday. The RS polls saw chief minister Nitish Kumar, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union minister Ram Nath Thakur, BJP's Shivesh Kumar and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha getting elected comfortably. The Mahagathbandhan's lone candidate and a prominent businessman Amarendra Dhari Singh, fell short despite support from AIMIM and BSP MLAs. In his Facebook statement, the first-term Congress MLA Kushwaha did not hide his displeasure with RJD's choice. "There was one seat with the Mahagathbandhan, so who could be a better candidate than Deepak Yadav? If not him, then Mukesh Sahni. But instead of giving them a chance, they fielded a person from such a class whose public support base is against the MGB. I cannot support the NDA, and since the RJD chose the wrong candidate, I thought it better not to vote." He also dismissed allegations of inducement or disloyalty, pointing to his development work: "On the chief minister's most favourite seat, we defeated the entire government machinery. I am repaying the debt of the people's blessings by ensuring faster development works across the state and his constituency. When opponents cannot compete, they will only defame," he stated. Kushwaha appealed to his core voters: "I hope the public - Dalits, backwards and minorities - will understand the spirit of my sacrifice and dedication and not fall into the trap of opponents." RJD MLA Kumar Sarvjeet sought to play down the differences between his party and the Congress on naming the RS candidate, saying that he can not blame the local leadership for hatching up the conspiracy (for abstaining the Congress legislators), when it was decided by the higher leadership. "People, who elected Kushwaha, will remember him as a traitor throughout his stint. They will not forgive him for his betrayal," added Sarvajeet. The other three absentees were Congress MLAs Manoj Biswas (Forbesganj) and Manohar Prasad Singh (Manihari). Both legislators, Manoj and Manohar, also toed the line of Surendra Kushwaha to skip voting in the RS polls. "The RJD candidate was not as per the party's principle," said Manohar Prasad, while dismissing further query on it. RJD MLA Rahman later clarified his absence on social media, stating he was in Delhi attending to his mother's treatment and poor health. Media department head of Bihar Congress Rajesh Rathore also dismissed the fear that the betrayal of a few Congress MLAs' would have any bearing on the MGB unity in Bihar. "Traiters can not decide the party line in Bihar," Rathore said, adding that the MLAs, who abstained from the RS poll would be show-caused to state their position. RJD leader and opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram have attributed the four absences to "BJP pressure" and alleged misuse of the local administration, describing it as a "chhal-kapat" (deception) tactic. However, Kushwaha's explicit criticism of the RJD's ticket distribution has shifted the narrative inside the alliance, suggesting internal discontent....