Patna: Congress released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections late on Thursday night. Forty-eight names feature in the list. Party’s State President Rajesh Ram will contest from Kutumba constituency in Aurangabad district, senior leader Shakeel Ahmed will fight from Kadwa in Katihar district.
The list includes five women and four Muslim candidates. Eleven sitting MLAs received tickets again, including representatives from Bhagalpur, Kadwa, Manihari (Katihar), Muzaffarpur, Rajapakar (Vaishali), Buxar, Rajpur (Buxar), Kutumba, Kargahar (Aurangabad), Hisua (Nawada) and Aurangabad.
Sitting MLA Chhatrapati Yadav from Khagaria district was denied a ticket. Chandan Yadav will contest in his place, having lost from Beldaur previously. Before the official announcement, 18 candidates had already received their symbols.
Violence At Patna Airport
Tensions erupted at Patna airport on Wednesday when Congress leaders Rajesh Ram, Krishna Allavaru and Shakeel Ahmed returned from Delhi. Party workers confronted them over ticket allocations. Leaders rushed to their vehicles to escape.
The anger focussed on the Bikram Assembly seat. Dr. Ashok Anand had been preparing for years, but the ticket went to Anil Sharma. Supporters accused the party of selling tickets for Rs 5 crore. Footage showed chaos, leaders running amid the crowd and Shakeel Ahmed barely reaching his car with help. Altercations with Pappu Yadav supporters were also reported.
Congress Strategy And Seat Sharing
In 2020, the Congress contested 70 seats, winning only 19. The party’s strike rate was 27 percent. The party had then claimed that its ally the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) allocated mostly weak seats, affecting results. This time, each constituency’s caste, social makeup, previous results and candidate strength were analysed in detail.
Seat sharing within the INDIA bloc (the RJD, the Congress and Left parties combine) was especially tough for the the grand old party. Leadership changes were made to reduce Lalu Prasad Yadav’s influence. Rajesh Ram replaced Akhilesh Prasad Singh as state president. Rahul Gandhi appointed Krishna Allavaru as Bihar in-charge and strengthened his presence through the ‘Voter Rights Yatra’.
Election Schedule
Voting for the first phase in Bihar begins on November 6. Congress’s candidate list mixes seasoned leaders, strategic new faces and carefully chosen constituencies aimed at improving its performance in the upcoming polls.
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