News

CONGRESS Led Maha Gathbandhan Is Not In Good Shape across the Country

WITH  the first phase of  polling  commencing on April  11 for the 17th  Lok Sabha Elections, India’s  largest and oldest political party ,Congress,  is yet to sort out  problems  related to selection of candidates. Electoral allies are trying to impose their terms taking advantage of its organizational disadvantage in most of the states. Congress is in soup in Maharashtra ruled by BJP-Shiv Sena.  Another Big State is Bihar where Congress led Grand Alliance does not seem to be is in good shape as  some Congress leaders claiming the party was “not getting a fair deal” in seat-sharing arrangement from the  RJD  and urged the high command to step in before it was too late. Former test cricketer Kirti Azad, who after quitting BJP joined the Congress recently, said he would request the party leadership to take “decisive” measures. He is sitting Lok Sabha Member from Darbhanga and intends to contest the election from there again. “It is indeed very demoralising for the entire party, not just the prospective candidate, if one does not get a chance to contest one’s sitting seat. I would urge the top Congress leadership to think clearly and take some decisive steps,” Azad added. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the major alliance partner in the Grand Alliance .is insisting on contesting the Darbhanga seat.  Azad’s candidature from Darbhanga as ‘Mahagathbandhan’ candidate was certain. Son of former Bihar chief minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, who was in Congress, Kirti Azad belongs to Maithil Brahmin community .The community was  traditional supporters of the Congress but has moved towards the BJP  post  Ram Janam Bhoomi Movement and  humiliation  of the Hindu community  by Congress party leaders . The RJD, which lost the seat by a thin margin in 2014, is pushing the candidature of its senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui from Darbhanga. There is sizeable Muslim population in the constituency. Under the seat-sharing arrangement in the Grand Alliance, the RJD will field candidates in 20 seats, Congress in nine, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) in three, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) in five, Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) in three and the Communist Party of India (CPI) on one seat. Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan said: “A strong message must be sent across that we are no pushovers. I would urge the high command to take a decision which could prevent the morale of our workers from sagging.”Ranjan has also been baffled by the threat issued by Supaul district RJD chief and MLA Yaduvansh Kumar Yadav that he would put up a candidate against the sitting Congress MP “without caring about any disciplinary action” by his party.Ranjeet Ranjan is the wife of Pappu Yadav.Pappu Yadav had won the seat of Madhepura in 2014 as an RJD candidate, but was expelled by party supremo Lalu Prasad a year later. He then floated Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) and had for long been trying for inclusion in the Grand Alliance heaping praise on the Congress and Lalu Prasad-led RJD. The RJD has named former JD –U MP Sharad Yadav as its nominee in Madhepura. He had lost to Pappu Yadav five years ago when the former fought as a Janata Dal (United) candidate. He was nominated by Bihar’s ruling party Janata Dal (united). However,  he was expelled from  the party after  he had challenged  JD-U  supremo and Bihar Chief Minister  Nitish Kumar for  forging  alliance with  BJP and  breaking partnership with  RJD. Pappu Yadav alleged that Prasad’s younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav was “insecure of people like me and Kanhaiya Kumar”.The JAP founder also said that he saw potential in Kanhaiya Kumar. Kanhaiya Kumar is making his electoral debut from   Begusarai against Giriraj Singh, MOS, on BJP ticket. The former controversial JNU President and Pappu Yadav have reportedly decided to each other. The former JNU students union leader also indirectly backed the sitting Madhepura MP’s claim for re-election, saying “one who toils must get the mehnatana (wages)”.Meanwhile, Congress state unit working president Kaukab Qadri also said that the party was getting a raw deal in the state.”We have undeniably been given a raw deal in the first two phases. We were deprived of a chance to contest Aurangabad, he told PTI.”As per the tentative arrangements for the remaining seats, we will be getting none except Sasaram in south Bihar. I have, therefore, urged the party high command to bat for my candidature from Karakat.”It includes the region to which I belong and has a sizeable population of minorities and upper castes who feel ditched by the BJP,” Qadri said.  RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha is sitting MP from Karakat. “We were coerced into giving up Aurangabad, which is adjacent to Karakat and where we had a strong candidate in former MP Nikhil Kumar.”The seat went to Upendra Prasad, a Kushwaha leader from Manjhi’s party. It would send a very wrong signal if two Kushwahas get tickets from two adjacent seats. The RLSP chief has been allocated five seats, far in excess of his political theft.” Congress leaders supported   his stand. Pradesh Congress Committee chief Madan Mohan Jha has meanwhile air dashed to Delhi to sort out the issue with High Command .Tejashwi Yadav, RJD chief has cancelled his rallies in Jamui, Banka and Katihar Lok Sabha segments. The opposition Grand Alliance comprising the RJD, Congress, RLSP, HAM (S) and former Bollywood set designer Mukesh Sahni’s VIP has announced the names of nine candidates. In neighbouring Jharkhand  RJD and  Congress alliance  faces birth pangs and in  West Bengal ,there is  no  Grand Alliance  among  anti-NDA  parties. Ruling TMC, Congress and the Left are in the fray minus any alliance or understanding among them (edited by Pranab Kumar Chakravarty).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.