Congress unhappy with RJD over seat division in Bihar
The party, many feel, should have negotiated for more and better seats; Pappu Yadav, who joined the Congress recently and was eyeing the Purnia seat, hints at the possibility of a ‘friendly fight’
ith the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) keeping the Purnia Lok Sabha seat for itself following the seatsharing arrangement in Bihar, the Congress has been left with a tricky situation in the form of former MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav.
The party also has to contend with enraged State leaders who feel that it is settling for too little.
The Congress has got nine out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the State. In a majority of these seats, State leaders claim, it has a nominal presence, with the caste arithmetic leaning in favour of the BJPled National Democratic Alliance.
With regard to Purnia, the RJD’s decision to stick with its candidate, Bima Bharti, who switched over from the Janata Dal (U), is being seen as a direct snub to the Gandhis who
Wbrought Mr. Pappu Yadav on board recently.
Mr. Pappu Yadav has not announced yet whether he will contest as an Independent, but citing the example of Wayanad — where senior CPI leader Annie Raja is contesting against former Congress president Rahul Gandhi — hinted at the possibility of “friendly fights”. Mr. Pappu Yadav, whose last electoral success came in 2014, when he won from Madhepura on RJD ticket, had represented Purnia thrice in the 1990s, two times as an Independent.
“I am committed to making Rahul Gandhi the country’s Prime Minister and helping a Congress revival in Bihar where, five years from now, it will be a force to reckon with in all 40 Lok Sabha constituencies,” Mr. Pappu Yadav said. His remark struck a chord with several Congress leaders, who feel shortchanged.
‘Weak State leadership’ The Congress, many feel, should have negotiated for more and better seats, since in a national election, it has better resonance than the RJD. “In Bihar, our party has surrendered to Lalu Prasad’s whims and fancies. Our State leadership couldn’t keep the party’s interest as supreme while negotiating seats with the RJD and now our central leadership looks helpless,” senior Bihar Congress leader Kishore Kumar Jha told The Hindu.
He said the seats where the Congress could have been stronger were given to the RJD by a “weak State leadership”. Other than Kishanganj and Katihar, the Congress has not won the remaining seven in several decades. For example, in Muzaffarpur, the Congress last won in 1984 and the RJD in 1998. In Maharajganj, the Congress last won in 1984. The Patna Sahib seat has been with the BJP since 2009 and the Congress does not fancy its chances here. “I think Mallikarjun Khargeji and Rahul Gandhiji should call off these relations and go it alone instead of being in this insulting alliance,” Mr. Jha said.