Bihar bypolls: Kanhaiya, Hardik, Jignesh to join Cong campaign from Oct 22

Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar, who recently switched to Congress from Communist Party of India (CPI), will campaign for his party from October 22 for the bypolls in Bihar for two assembly seats to be held on October 30, party leaders said

Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar, who recently switched to Congress from Communist Party of India (CPI), will campaign for his party from October 22 for the bypolls in Bihar for two assembly seats to be held on October 30, party leaders said.

Former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani will campaign for Congress party from October 22 for the upcoming bypolls in Bihar. (HT Photo)

Kanhaiya will also be joined by working president of Gujarat Congress Hardik Patel and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani, who has announced his decision to join the Congress in the future.

Congress has fielded Atirek Kumar and Rajesh Mishra for the bypolls in Kusheshwar Asthan in Darbhanga and Tarapur in Munger, respectively.

Kadwa MLA Shakeel Ahmad Khan, who is also a JNU alumnus, said the three leaders would stay put in Bihar till the last day of campaigning, October 28, and address election meetings in both the constituencies. “Several other youth leaders, who are in different parties, are also likely to support the party’s bid to wrest the two seats,” Khan said.

Kanhaiya Kumar, Patel and Mevani have already been included in the Congress list of star campaigners for the two seats.

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Madan Mohan Jha said two dedicated teams led by Akhilesh Prasad Singh, chairman of Congress campaign committee and Rajya Sabha member, and working president and MLC Sameer Kumar Singh have already been working in Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur.

Congress ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in also in the fray for the two seats, as is the ruling Janata Dal (United), which had won the two seats in 2020 assembly elections.

Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra said the bypolls would see a direct contest between the ruling alliance and his party. “It is unfortunate that RJD did not follow coalition dharma and tried to queer the pitch for secular forces in their fight against the JD(U)-led dispensation,” he said.