It seems all is in the family, and friends, for the Congress party in Bihar. Already miffed with the measly nine seats granted to it as part of the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar, the ticket distribution trends, which overwhelmingly favour party leaders’ kinfolk or close associates, has further infuriated the State leadership. Senior Congress leaders rued the “pitiable” condition of the party and lamented that a return to its old glory days seems “not merely difficult but impossible”.
Under the Opposition mahagathbandhan seat distribution arrangement, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) got the lion’s share of the 40 seats in Bihar. With a total of 23 seats going to the RJD candidates, the Congress received a mere nine seats, leaving five seats for the Left parties and three for new entrant Mukesh Sahani’s Vikasheel Insaan Party.
Earlier, the Congress had announced the names of three party leaders Tariq Anwar from Katihar, sitting MP from Kishanganj Mohd. Jawed, and Ajit Sharma as candidates. State Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh on Tuesday claimed that all three candidates are “going to win” in the second phase of the election on April 26. On April 22, the Congress announced the names of candidates for five more seats - Samastipur, Sasaram, Muzaffarpur, Paschim (west) Champaran, and Maharajganj. Additionally, Tuesday saw the declaration of the candidature of Anshul Abhijit, son of senior party leader and former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, to contest the polls from Patna Sahib seat.
