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For Congress party which is contesting on nine seats out of total 40 under mahagathbandhan alliance in Bihar, it seems, all in family and friends in ticket distribution.
Senior State party leaders rued that Congress party in Bihar has reached a political point from where returning to its old glorious days seems “not only a difficult but impossible”.
Under Opposition mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) seat distribution, Congress got only nine seats to contest, Rashtriya Janata Dal 23, the three Left parties five and the new entrant Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP) of Mukesh Sahani who better advertise himself as “Son of Mallah” (Mallah is fisherman / boatman backward caste in Bihar) with three seats.
Earlier, Congress had announced names of three party leaders Tariq Anwar from Katihar, sitting MP from Kishanganj Mohd. Jawed and Ajit Sharma from Bhagalpur seats.
However, on April 22, it announced names of candidates for five more seats: Samastipur, Sasaram, Muzaffarpur, Paschim (west) Champaran and Maharajganj.
Out of these five seats, party has given tickets either to dynasty or borrowed players at the cost of grass root party leaders alleged some senior State party leaders.
On Maharajganj seat, party has named Akash Prasad Singh as party candidate who is the son of State party president Akhilesh Prasad Singh. Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Akhilesh Prasad Singh is considered close to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and also with other party leaders.
Mr. Singh had contested the last 2019 Lok Sabha election unsuccessfully from Purvi (east) Champaran seat on, now defunct Rashtriya Lok Samata Party RLSP) of Upendra Kushwaha. Mr. Kushwaha has now renamed his party as Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). Mr. Singh is pitted against sitting BJP MP Janardan Singh Sigriwal.
Similarly, the party is likely to field Anshul Abhijit, who is the son of senior Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar from Patna Sahib seat, though his name is yet to be announced. The BJP has fielded sitting MP and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on the seat as NDA candidate.
On Samastipur (reserved) seat, Congress has preferred to give party ticket to Sunny Hazari, who is the son of senior JD(U) leader and former Deputy Speaker of State Legislative Assembly, Maheshwar Hazari. Mr. Hazari is said to have cordial relation with some senior State Congress leaders. Mr. Sunny Hazari would be fighting against Sambhavi Choudhary who is daughter of another JD-U leader and former State Congress president Ashok Choudhary. Ms. Choudhary is also considered as the youngest Dalit candidate contesting Lok Sabha elections in the State.
Congress party has named Ajay Nishad from Muzaffarpur seat. Mr. Nishad had won the last 2019 LS poll on the seat on BJP ticket but when dropped this time, he immediately switched his political loyalty to the Congress party and got the party ticket to contest the poll. Similarly, party has given ticket to Manoj Kumar on Sasaram (reserved) seat. Mr. Kumar had contested the seat in last 2019 parliamentary poll unsuccessfully as Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate.
Congress has named former Bettiah (East Champaran) MLA Madan Mohan Tiwari as party candidate from West Champaran seat Lok Sabha seat. The senior State party leaders said, Mr. Tiwari is considered as weak party candidate on the West Champaran seat from where other senior party leaders were in the race to contest the poll.
Senior Congress leaders of the State, though, expressed concern that “party has not played fair in ticket distribution as it’s (party’s) interests were sacrificed for promoting kin of family and friends”.
“First the Congress party compromised heavily on just nine seats under mahagathbandhan alliance with RJD and others to contest but the party got huge blow in ticket distribution as it gave importance and dependency either on dynasty or, borrowed players at the cost dedicated party leaders and workers of the state”, senior party leader from Madhubani, Kishore Kumar Jha rued.
Apparently peeved at the “pitiable” condition of Congress party in Bihar under mahagathbandhan alliance, former Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Anil Sharma had quit the party on March 31 claiming that the party has stuck in a “disastrous” partnership with the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
“In last Lok Sabha poll too Congress had given party tickets to borrowed players in Munger and Purnea and lost both seats”, Mr. Jha said.
In last 2019 Lok Sabha poll too Congress had contested on 9 seats in Bihar and won the single seat of Kishanganj. No other contestant from mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) could manage to win any other seat as all the remaining 39 seats had gone to the NDA camp.
“The Congress party in Bihar this time has made the winning path smooth for the NDA by making heavy compromise in seat distribution and later, in distribution of party tickets to kin of party leaders and borrowed players again”, a senior state party leader, preferring anonymity, told The Hindu.
“I wish someone would listen and come to save our century old party in Bihar”, he prayed.
