Bihar Election: Congress Clears 25 Candidates For ‘Strongholds’, To Announce Candidates With RJD
The Congress party's CEC approved 25 candidates for Bihar election, focusing on traditional strongholds. This occurred amidst seat-sharing negotiations within the 'Mahagathbandhan' alliance.
The Congress party’s top brass has given its initial nod to 25 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, even as negotiations for seat-sharing with its partners in the Opposition 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) are still under way.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) on Wednesday at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi. According to news agency PTI, sources indicated that Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were among the key leaders who participated virtually in the deliberations to finalise the names. AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and party treasurer Ajay Maken were also present at the physical meeting.
Focus on Traditional Congress Seats
The candidates approved by the CEC are specifically for constituencies regarded as traditional strongholds of the Congress in Bihar, and which have already been cleared as part of the party's quota by its alliance partners.
Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram confirmed that the central leadership heard the inputs from state representatives patiently during the meeting. Referring to the seats discussed, Ram stated, "At the CEC meeting, we said those seats which are traditionally held by the Congress would remain with us...for which candidates have also been decided after deliberations."
Congress, RJD To Jointly Announce Candidates
Despite the internal clearance, the Congress will hold off on officially announcing the list until a final agreement is reached with its allies, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Left parties.
According to PTI, Ram stressed that the number of seats to be contested by each partner would be unveiled jointly by the alliance. He reiterated that the CEC meeting was a positive step, saying, "We are happy with the seats discussed today at the CEC meeting... All top leaders agreed to our suggestions and candidates proposed by state leaders."
Leaders of the Congress also played down any signs of friction within the Mahagathbandhan over seat adjustments, projecting an image of unity.
The Bihar Congress chief insisted that the 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) was functioning smoothly, confirming, "There is no fight in the Mahagathbandhan partners for seats. We will jointly decide the candidates and announce them at a press conference, after clarity amongst all our partners."
Shakeel Ahmed, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the Bihar Assembly, concurred, stating that the CEC’s approval focused on "seats which are Congress strongholds." He added that only "one round of discussions with alliance partners remains, and after that we would decide on the seats that each one is contesting."
Congress Kishanganj MP and CEC member Mohammed Jawaid later confirmed the final figure, telling reporters that "The party has cleared the names of 25 candidates for the upcoming Bihar polls," PTI reported.
The Bihar Assembly polls, where the Mahagathbandhan aims to unseat the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14.
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