Congress prepared for showdown with RJD; pronounces candidates for MLC polls in Bihar
By PTI
PATNA: The Congress on Saturday got here out with the names of its candidates for eight out of 24 seats in Bihar legislative council for which polls are scheduled subsequent month, in a transparent sign to domineering former ally RJD that it was unwilling to go down with out a combat.
The listing of eight candidates was issued by AICC common secretary Mukul Wasnik with the approval of get together president Sonia Gandhi, with whom RJD supremo Lalu Prasad’s wonderful private rapport has proved to be of no avail.
Polling is scheduled for the 24 seats on April 4.
Among the seats for which the Congress got here out with names of its candidates is West Champaran (Mohd Afaq Ahmed).
The Congress had received the seat in 2015 however its MLC Rajesh Ram crossed over to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) final 12 months.
“We understand this is the first list. More names, for other seats, are expected shortly”, state Congress media in-charge Rajesh Rathore informed PTI.
The RJD, which had rebuffed the Congress in October final 12 months when it fielded its candidates for by-polls to 2 meeting polls ignoring protestations of the latter, is contesting 23 seats, leaving one for the Left.
The Congress-RJD alliance in Bihar, which has been in place for greater than 20 years regardless of minor ups and downs, goes by a tough patch for the reason that meeting elections of 2020.
The Grand Alliance comprising the 2 events apart from CPI(ML), CPI(M), and CPI put up a greater than anticipated efficiency however fell in need of a majority.
The Congress was singled out for its poor efficiency because it had contested 70 seats however may win lower than 20.
Things reached a flashpoint throughout by-polls for Tarapur and Kusheshwar Asthan meeting segments.
There have been speculations in a piece of the media that the RJD has been cross with the Congress over the induction of CPI chief Kanhaiya Kumar who’s seen as a possible rival to Prasad’s son and inheritor obvious Tejashwi Yadav.
Terms of the 24 seats had expired in July final 12 months however the elections have been delayed since recent panchayats and concrete native our bodies couldn’t be elected inside time on account of the COVID pandemic.
Half of the 2 dozen poll-bound seats had been received by the BJP final time.
Its alliance associate, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), had eight.
The RJD held two whereas one other seat was received by an unbiased candidate.
The NDA has its personal share of issues with smaller allies Vikassheel Insaan Party, headed by minister Mukesh Sahni and Hindustani Awam Morcha of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi expressing resentment over being ignored.
The NDA is but to announce its candidates, although it has come out with a formulation of seat-sharing whereby the BJP shall be contesting 13 seats whereas the JD(U) will combat the remaining 11.
