Lalu yields to smaller allies, Cong on back foot

  • | Monday | 25th March, 2019

Congress, which revived in Bihar from four seats in 2010 assembly elections to 24 in 2015, got only nine Lok Sabha seats. However, Upendra Kushwaha- led RLSP, which has no stature at all when compared to Congress, has been given five seats. “The seat distribution clearly shows that dialogues held with allies for the same were utter failure. As Lalu did not want to dishearten any smaller ally, he came under pressure from the demands first made by Kushwaha, then Manjhi and finally by Sahni. It is ironic that HAM(S) and VIP, which do not have even a single MP in the current Lok Sabha, have been given three seats each.”The Congress functionary said proper caste equation was not maintained in the seat-sharing arrangement of Mahagathbandhan.

PATNA: For all practical reasons, Congress, which had initially claimed that it would play on the ‘front foot’ in the Lok Sabha elections, seems to have started playing second fiddle to RJD, all thanks to Lalu Prasad.Congress president Rahul Gandhi said in his speech in Jan Akansha Rally at Patna on February 3 that Congress will play from the front foot, but party had to apparently follow the diktat of RJD chief Lalu in distribution of seats in Bihar The ‘weak’ position of Congress was also seen in the joint press conference of RJD- led Mahagathbandhan in Bihar earlier this week, when RJD’s Manoj Jha announced the seat-sharing arrangement and names of candidates of the alliance for the first phase of elections, even though state Congress president Madan Mohan Jha was asking him not to take names, especially for Aurangabad seat.Congress later faced consequences, as supporters of former MP Nikhil Kumar staged aggressive protests at the party office for giving Aurangabad seat to Jitan Ram Manjhi-led HAM (S).Senior Bihar Congress functionaries admitted that there was a great deal of disappointment among leaders and workers of the party for getting fewer seats. “It is a humiliation for us. Congress, which revived in Bihar from four seats in 2010 assembly elections to 24 in 2015, got only nine Lok Sabha seats. However, Upendra Kushwaha- led RLSP, which has no stature at all when compared to Congress, has been given five seats. It has been a big jolt for the party,” a senior office-bearer of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) told TOI on the condition of anonymity.He said Congress had made up its mind to contest 15 seats and the same was communicated to Lalu, who later came under pressure from smaller allies.“Based on request from RJD, party’s political affairs committee decided to come down to 14 seats. Even in the last-minute talks held in the last couple of weeks in New Delhi between the senior leaders of the constituents of Bihar Mahagathbandhan, it was decided that Congress will field its candidates in 11 constituencies,” the Congress functionary said.He added, “Lalu came under pressure from smaller allies, including Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP, HAM(S) and Mueksh Sahni-led VIP. As Lalu did not want to dishearten any smaller ally, he came under pressure from the demands first made by Kushwaha, then Manjhi and finally by Sahni. It is ironic that HAM(S) and VIP, which do not have even a single MP in the current Lok Sabha, have been given three seats each.”The Congress functionary said proper caste equation was not maintained in the seat-sharing arrangement of Mahagathbandhan. “Several castes and religions have not been given proper representation. For instance, two Koeris of RLSP – Upendra Kushwaha from Karakat and Upendra Prasad from Aurangabad and two Dalit candidates Meira Kumar of Congress from Sasaram and Manjhi from Gaya – are being fielded in Magadh region, but there is not a single candidate from the minority groups. These four constituencies are close to each other and it would have been helpful had candidates from diverse communities fielded,” he said.The Congress functionary said Congress could have easily won seven to eight seats in Bihar had it gone to the polls alone. “The seat distribution clearly shows that dialogues held with allies for the same were utter failure. We were not able to act as the biggest party in the alliance during the talks held for seat-sharing and make our demands accordingly, he said, adding the prevailing disappointment among workers and leaders can affect the prospects of the party in Bihar assembly elections to be held in 2020.

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