Bihar bypolls: Cong sets up panel to coordinate campaigning

The panel, led by former Youth Congress president Kumar Ashish, was constituted a day after RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s elder son and MLA Tej Pratap Yadav threw his support to Congress nominee Atirek Kumar, who is contesting from Kusheshwar Asthan assembly seat in Darbhanga

The Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) has set up a seven-member panel to ensure smooth coordination among the party’s star campaigners for Kuesheshwar Asthan and Tarapur by-elections, scheduled for October 30.

Bihar bypolls are scheduled for October 30. (ANI)

The panel, led by former Youth Congress president Kumar Ashish, was constituted a day after RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s elder son and MLA Tej Pratap Yadav threw his support to Congress nominee Atirek Kumar, who is contesting from Kusheshwar Asthan assembly seat in Darbhanga.

BPCC chief spokesman Rajesh Rathore said that the committee had already taken up the work to coordinate with the grassroots-level workers to the state leaders for the campaigning ahead of the much-talked visit of former JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar on October 22. “Mrinal Anamay, Neeraj Yadav, Rajesh Kumar, Rajiv Sinha, Kamal Kumar Kamlesh and Gyan Ranjan are committee members,” said Rathore.

The Congress party received a shot in the arm in the midst of campaigning for the by-elections as Tej Pratap Yadav announced his decision to campaign for the Congress’s nominee in fray for Kusheshwar Asthan, much to the discomfiture of his younger brother and opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) working president Ashok Kumar, whose son Atirek Kumar is contesting Kusheshwar Asthan seat as the Congress nominee, said it was a great gesture to strengthen the secular forces that Tej Pratap would campaign for Atirek. “Tej Pratap had talked to Atirek and chalked out his tour programme,” said Ashok Kumar.

Atirek is seeking election from Kushshwar Asthan, which remained a stronghold of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) since 1995. The Congress had won the seat last in 1985. In 1995, Raj Kumar Mahaseth, who represented the constituency as an Independent in 1990, won it for the Janata Dal. However, it’s been in the kitty of either the BJP or the JD(U) since 2000. JD(U) has bet on Aman Bhushan Hazari, while the RJD pins hope on Arun Kumar to wrest it for the party.

Tej Pratap’s decision to support the Congress candidate might be seen as an embarrassment to his younger brother and opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, who had unilaterally announced that the RJD would contest both Kusheswhwar Asthan and Tarapur assembly seats. The Congress resented the RJD’s decision as a ‘breach of coalition dharma’ and decided to contest both the seats.

The Congress was planning to contest only one seat, Kusheshwar Ashthan, which was allotted to it under seat adjustment among the Grand Alliance (GA) in 2020 elections, and leave the other for the RJD. It has fielded Rajesh Mishra from Tarapur against the Janata Dal (United) candidate Rajiv Kumar Singh and RJD’s Arun Kumar Sah.

BPCC president Madan Mohan Jha and party MLC Prem Chandra Mishra kicked off the party’s campaigning in Kusheshwar Asthan by paying their obeisance to the ditties at the famous local temple. Citing huge public support during the party’s meeting, Mishra claimed that the Congress was sure to win both seats.