Bihar Congress leaders in competitive show of strength to lead state unit

Several party leaders are putting their best foot forward in order to stake a claim to lead the party in the state, said party leaders.

As the deadline for the long-awaited revamp of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) is drawing closer, prominent Congress leaders, particularly those aspiring to lead the state unit, are mobilising resources and manpower for a show of strength in the last leg of Kisan Satyagrah Yatra led by Bihar Congress in-charge Bhakta Charan Das, starting March 13, said party leaders aware of the developments.

The approaching end of Congress in-charge Bhakta Charan Das' yatra is likely to trigger a fresh churning in Bihar Congress. ( (ANI Photo)/Representative)

During this four-day tour to Mithilachal, Das would meet party’s functionaries in seven districts, including Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Arwal and Jehanabad. He is expected to pick leaders for the new state committee after the Kisan Satyagrah Yatra-cum-consultations with party’s functionaries across the state. Das was nominated as the Bihar Congress in-charge on January 11, replacing Shaktisinh Gohil, and embarked on a three-phased Kisan Satyagraha Yatra on January 26.

Soon after taking over as the new All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Bihar, Bhakta Charan Das had announced

Sensing the significance of the last leg of the yatra, many senior leaders have toured their respective areas of influence, particularly in Mithilanchal, to encourage their supporters to put up an impressive show, said some party leaders on condition of anonymity.

Former AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmad, who had earlier rebelled against the party and thereby got suspended, AICC media panelist Prem Chandra Mishra, former Congress legislature party leader Ashok Kumar, et al, held preparatory meetings with party workers in Madhubani and Sitamarhi districts on Sunday, apparently to leave a lasting impression on the party in-charge before he undertake the reshuffle exercise, said party leaders.

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief Madan Mohan Jha and party’s campaign committee chief and Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad have already visited the areas to be covered by Das during the last phase of campaigning. Former BPCC vice-president Pravin Singh Kushwaha, who put up a massive show of strength in Bhagalpur during the second phase of the yatra, has also reached Patna after meeting a string of AICC seniors in Delhi to coordinate with the programme.

BPCC spokesman Rajesh Rathore said Das would arrive in Patna on March 12 and start his journey from Samastipur the next day, where he is expected to address a farmers’ conclave to mobilise against the newly-enacted farm reform laws. Das is set to attend seven farmers’ conclave in the last leg of the yatra.